Scarred on the inside
by kaosninja
Summary: Natsu and Lucy have been together for six months and it's Lucy's birthday, but Natsu's forgotten. Was it just stupidity on his side or does he really not love her? Where was he actually when he was supposed to be with Lucy? And how is Lucy dealing with all of this? Also, why does Sabertooth, a guild she's never heard of, suddenly seem so important? [PREQUEL TO 'TO SATISFY JUSTICE']
1. Betrayed

**Hello to all and to all hi! Just a warning this story is sad. I don't know if I should make it a one-shot or a full story so please comment and tell me. Thanks!**

Lucy Heartfilia walked to her home. She was excited, it was the anniversary that marked that she had been with Natsu Dragneel for six months. It was also going to be her seventeenth birthday. She'd been in Fairy Tail for eight months. She was head-over-heels in love with the said man, and she just knew that he had something special planned for her. After all, she'd reminded him yesterday. A lot. She hadn't seen him at all today, so she was super excited, knowing he'd planned something big.

As she got to her and Natsu's home, she took a deep breath before opening her door. "Natsu? Are you there?" She got no response. She stepped inside, it was pitch black. Switching on the lights, she was dismayed to see that there was no one to greet her. But she immediately brightened up, knowing that there was no way Natsu could have forgotten about her. He must be in the bathroom. Yeah, that was it, he was just using the bathroom. Walking over to the bathroom door, Lucy knocked. "Natsu, you in there?" Once again, the blond was met with silence. Frowning, the blond opened the bathroom door. It was empty.

Lucy checked the whole house, but there was no trace of Natsu, not even a note! Lucy knew he couldn't have gotten into trouble as he could take care of himself. That only left one option. He...forgot? No way! He swore he wouldn't! With a cry, the blond ran out the door, not even bothering to lock it behind her.

Lucy threw the doors to the guild open, noting the cautious silence that met her. She scanned the crowd, but couldn't make out Natsu. Instead, she spotted Levy, so the blond made her way over to the blue-haired girl. "Hi Levy!" Lucy tried to look bright, even though inside she was dying. Where was Natsu? Why hadn't he been at home to meet her? Levy avoided eye contact, an almost guilty expression crossing her features.

"Um, hi Lu-chan. Whatcha up to?" Lucy was curious as to why Levy was acting how she was but ignored it.

"I was actually looking for Natsu. I'm so happy being with him and I need to remind him something, after all, tonight we're supposed to be doing something super romantic with him. It means a lot to me. You haven't seen him around, have you?" Levy shifted uncomfortably. Something was obviously wrong. "Um, Lu-chan, I don't think you'll be seeing Natsu tonight." Lucy blinked.

"Why not? He promised me he would prepare something special." In spite of her words, Lucy was having her doubts. He'd seemed so distant lately, rarely spending his nights with her anymore. He still said 'I love you' to her, but it seemed different. He seemed so distracted as of late.

"Lu-chan, I'm so sorry, but Natsu-san, he's been cheating on you. He's with Lisanna-chan now." Lucy's jaw dropped; she was horrified! But she knew better than to question her friend; Levy would never lie to her. With her lower lip trembling, a couple of tears escaped the blond's eyes.

"Y-you're sure?" Levy nodded solemnly, a pained expression on her face.

"I'm so sorry Lu-chan. I wanted to tell you, everyone did-"

"So everyone in the guild knew about this?" Lucy interjected. Levy nodded again. "Thank you for telling me Levy-chan, please don't tell anyone that I know." With that, Lucy rushed out of the guild, tears blurring her eyes. _It hurts. It hurts so much. All those times he told me he loved me, they all meant nothing!_ Lucy's heart felt like it would explode, betrayal was coursing through her veins, scarring her on the inside.

When Lucy got home, she threw herself on her bed and screamed into the mattress. She cried and sobbed until her throat was hoarse and there were no more tears left. Then, with a new resolve, the blond got a large backpack. She put in it clothes, food, provisions and other such things until it was bulging. She then got a knife and cut the back of her hand, right where her fairy tail logo was. She walked over to the walls and, using her blood, wrote 'Will you love me?'

Lucy made another cut. Fairy tail had betrayed her, they'd lied to her. Natsu had lied to her. Lucy felt tears pricking her eyes but she forced them back. She'd cried enough tonight. In her own blood, wrote another message on the opposite wall, right below a picture of her and Natsu looking like the happiest couple in the world. Her other message read 'Together forever, right?' After a moment's thought, Lucy made a single slash through the picture of Natsu and her, dropping the knife to the ground and leaving it there. She then bandaged her wound, grabbed her backpack and paused. Her fairy tail insignia was broken, she was no longer a part of that traitorous guild. And she was never going to see them again. With one last thought, Lucy left behind her old life, hurting so much. _Goodbye fairy tail. Goodbye Natsu._

Natsu POV

I walked home. It was about two or three in thhe morning, and I'd just been with Lisanna. As I reached the front door to our apartment. I breathed in deeply, inhaling Lucy's scent of strawberries and vanilla. There was something else as well, but I couldn't put mu finger on it. Shrugging it off, I was about to open the door when I realized something. It was our six-month anniversary today! Well, technically yesterday but whatever! It had also been Lucy's seventeenth birthday! Damnit! Shoving the door open, I switched on the lights. "Lucy? I'm so sorry I forgot about the anniversary and your birthday! I swear I'll make it up to you, I-" I stopped short at the sight of blood on the wall. I rushed over to it. It said 'Will you love me?" _Has Lucy found out about Lisanna and I? Did she, oh no, did she kill herself? She wouldn't, right?_ I remembered all the times we'd kissed, the times she'd told me she loved me and smiled brightly at my no matter what. Scanning the house, I saw another message below our picture on the wall saying 'Together forever, right?' Upon further examination, I also noticed a knife on the ground and a slash through our picture of us hugging each other.

I fell to my knees. She thought I didn't love her. _She thought I didn't love her!_ But wait, did I? I'd been trying to think of a nice way to break up with her so that I could be with Lisanna. _Was it possible to love two people? Did Lucy die or leave? When would she be back?_ There were too many questions and not enough answers. Clutching my head, I realized that I did love Lucy. And I'd hurt her so badly. I wept, needing her, now more than ever. _She must hate me now..._

**Awww, Natsu loves Lucy! After writing that I'm thinking that I should write it as a story instead of a one-shot. R&R please, give me ideas for a storyline for this because I can't really think of anything. Also, I'm sorry about the third person POV at the start, from now on I'll try to make it so that it's only in first person POV. Thanks! **


	2. Saved

**Wow guys! I didn't think I'd get all those reviews already so thanks! To be honest, I had no idea which direction the story was gonna go in so thanks again, particularly to alinekiryuu for the plot idea, I'll give it a try. Also, since Sting's in Sabertooth, should I make Lucy join Sabertooth? Btw, I'm totally gonna see this through till the end! **

Lucy POV

I'd taken the train and stayed on it for almost the whole night. Finally, I'd gotten off at a town called 'Clearwater'. After Fairy Tail's betrayal, I learnt that there is a place you can go that is below down and beyond bad. When you get there, every minute that passes goes by like an hour. Every hour that passes feels like an achievement without a goal. And everything around you makes you hurt. I hate this place. When I was little, mama always told me that princesses are always saved by handsome princes in shining armour, so where's my prince?

I walked through the streets of Clearwater, tired, hungry and alone. I'd contemplated finding a hotel to stay at, but then felt that I just didn't have the heart; I couldn't yet put on a happy face and go back to the real world, it just hurt too much. I continued walking, it must have been about 3 or 4am. Looking around, I realized that I seemed to have entered the bad part of town. With a shiver, I turned back, only to scream as a man confronted me. He had shaggy brown hair and a big nose, but was kinda good-looking. He also seemed very panicked. "Please, miss, don't run away! M-my friend he collapsed! I don't know anything about first-aid, so please help me! His life could be in danger!" Startled, I nodded. His face showed immense relief. He quickly began to run into some alleys and I followed him. I quickly lost my sense of direction but the man seemed to know where he was going. Finally, I saw a figure slumped up against the wall and quickened my pace. I was breathing hard, so I took a moment to catch my breath.

"Have either of you had any alcohol tonight?" I sounded breathless, but in control.

"I only had a bit but he drunk a lot. I told him to stop but he wouldn't listen, he doesn't take booze very well." For a moment, Lucy was reminded of her friend Cana, the girl that couldn't seem to stop drinking. But when she felt a stinging sensation in her chest, she quickly pushed those thoughts away. Kneeling, I put my fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse. Surprisingly, it was there, strong and steady. Next, I put my fingers in front of his mouth; his breathing was regular as well.

"You shouldn't be worried; I don't think that there's anything too wrong with-ah!" I shrieked as I felt strong arms grip me from behind and shove me against the opposite alley wall. It was the man that had brought me here that was holding me. "What are you-" I cut off as I saw the 'passed out' man rise to his feet. He sniggered at my shocked expression.

"You really caught a nice one there, huh Sho. Yeah, she looks real good." 'Sho' smirked.

"Who woulda thought that a girl like her would be wandering around this part of the city. She must've been lost; oh well, let's show this chick a good time." They both chuckled darkly. Gaping in horror, I screamed.

"No! Help! Someone! Please, save me!" Sho slapped me on the face, making my eyes water.

"Be quiet," he hissed, "do you want me to hurt you?" I tried to reach for my keys o my whip, but Sho's friend saw and quickly snatched them away from me. A pang of despair erupted through me as I realized it was useless, there was no one to save me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I waited for it to be over. But nothing happened. Instead, I heard a gasp, cry and then the weight holding me to the wall disappeared. Cracking my eyes open, I gaped at the scene before me. My two attackers were lying on the floor, unconscious or dead I couldn't tell. There was also a figure standing in front of them, facing away from me. Hope blossomed inside my chest, had my knight in shining armour arrived?

"Oi, whatcha just standin' there for?" I sweat-dropped. This guy was definitely not the princely type. Keeping my eyes on him, I cautiously picked up my gate keys. Getting my first good look at him, I was surprised; he was a hottie! He was slim, but I could still see rock hard abs beneath his clothes. He had spiky blond hair and had an air of confidence about him. There was something familiar about him but I couldn't put my finger on it. Trying to remember what it was, I was startled when his voice broke the silence. "Hey, what're you doing hanging out with these guys? If you wanna get laid I'm sure there are more comfortable places." I stared at him incredulously, my temper flaring.

"Hey, it's not my fault I was with these guys. In case you didn't notice, it's kinda hard to get away when you're pinned up against a wall." He stared at me for a moment.

"Hn," was all he said before he turned around and began to walk away. Taking that as a cue, I followed him and eventually we reached the roads. As he was illuminated by a single street lamp, I realized why he looked so familiar. His features were so similar to Natsu's, they could have been brothers. He kept walking away and I called out.

"Wait!" He turned around and cocked an eyebrow, staring at me intently. Blushing, I asked, "Y-your name?" Once again, he smirked. It seemed to be the only expression that he knew.

"Eucliffe. Sting Eucliffe."

"O-oh, well, Sting-kun, I hope to meet you again sometime. Thank you so much for saving me."

"Whatever. But make me a deal." This piqued my curiosity.

"What?"

"Next time we meet girl, you have to be stronger. Strong enough that you can take on any future rapists," I sweat dropped. "And also, strong enough so that you provide a challenge for me. Got that girl?" Gulping I accepted his deal, grinning.

"You are so on. And My name's Lucy, not 'girl'." I smiled as we walked our separate ways. I now had a new goal in life; one that included me getting stronger. And perhaps even finding love.

**Yay! The second chapter's out! How was that? Please R&R, it makes me happy as :3 Also, I totally forgot to do the disclaimers before so here they are. I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS *sob* by the way, Sho is not the Sho in Fairy Tail that is Erza's 'brother'. I was just thinking of a name, and it wasn't till the end of the chapter that I realized there was already a Sho in Fairy Tail lol. Stay tuned for more chapters!**


	3. Fight

**Yay! Thank you to each and every reviewer, when I say thanks even though I may not say your name personally I am real grateful. P.S, It's my b-day soon so yay! Three days, so excited! Heh...**

Natsu POV

A couple of days had passed since Lucy's disappearance. I was already on my second mission. I'd been searching for Lucy non-stop, but I hadn't been able to find her. Lisanna had berated me on spending so much time trying to find Lucy, but I couldn't help it; I needed her. Sighing, I turned my mind back to the mission.

I was actually supposed to be having a fight against someone from another guild, something about them wanting to test their skills. Grinning maliciously, I arrived at my destination. Not wanting to take the train alone, I'd gotten Happy to fly me halfway to this town, then I'd carried him the rest of the way. It was a relatively big place called Clearwater, though it was definitely smaller than Magnolia. I walked the streets in search of a place to eat and finally found one. Just before I entered the said place, I felt a prickly feeling on the back of my neck, like I was being watched. But when I turned back to check, there was no one there.

Lucy POV

I walked down the streets off Clearwater, thinking of my promise to that boy called Sting Eucliffe. I giggled at the memory. There was a line of bustling shops hugging the road, so I looked for a clothes one. After that I decided I'd have a look in the restaurant next to it, pizza place called 'Peeta's Pizza'. S I was about to enter the clothes store called 'Ziera Outlet', I spied something awfully familiar and noticeable. A spiky head of pink. Natsu. My breathing quickened and my jaw dropped. Why was he here? I wasn't ready to face him yet! Finally regaining my composure, I ducked inside the clothes store just before he glanced around. _Why? Why is this happening?_

Natsu POV

After eating a good meal, I checked my mission documents. I was fighting a person from a guild called Sabertooth. _What a weird name..._ I found the address and entered. It was a bar. Glancing around, I noted the dim lights and passed out drunkards. _Why would someone want to meet here? What the hell? _Approaching the bartender, I said, "I'm looking for someone called..." Glancing down at my documents, I got the name. "Sting Eucliffe. He here?" Squiniting at me, the bartender nodded over my shoulder. I turned and saw a blond guy around my age. He looked strong. Good. Grinning, I approached him. "Oi, you Sting?" He looked at me, noting both my Fairy Tail insignia and my rude approach.

"Yeah, and are you the one you accepted the mission? You think a brat like yourself can defeat me?" I stared at him angrily.

"You bastard, we're the same age! Boy I'm gonna enjoy burning you." He looked at me boredly.

"Well then come on. I don't feel like wasting my money on repairs for a bar. I know a good place we can fight."

I stared at Sting. What a weird name he had. It was kinda awkward, thankfully, he broke the silence. "Oi, are you really that strong? You don't really look it." I stared at him angrily.

"Of course I'm strong!" I tried to think of a good come-back, but I came up blank. _Damn, where is Lucy when you need her?_

"Lucy?" With a jolt, I realized I must've spoken that last part out loud. Sting's eyes widened. "No way, you can't men her. Hey, pinky, is she blond with a smoking body? Big brown eyes and alone?" My eyes widened at his description. It fit Lucy perfectly.

"Yes! That's her! Scar-head, have you seen her? Is she safe? Where is she?" The desperation in my voice was clear but I didn't care. This guy knew where Lucy was! He smirked.

"Why should I tell you that? Maybe she doesn't want to be found." I stared at him. I was starting to get angry.

"What the hell are you on? Of course she wants to be found. She's my _girlfriend."_ I snarled, stressing the word girlfriend so that it was impossible to miss. His smirk widened.

"Really? If your her boyfriend then why did you let her out here alone at night? Did you even know that Blondie almost got raped? If it weren't for me she'd be a broken woman by now."

Sting POV

I laughed. Pinky's expression was a mixture of shock, horror and regret. Even though I was laughing, this guy pissed me off. He let someone wander around here alone at night, his girlfriend no less! What kind of heartless bastard was this guy, to do such a stupid thing. I remembered Blondie's cries of alarm when she'd been caught, her desperate yet useless struggling against her captors. The reason that I'd saved her was because she'd kept fighting back; even though she ws weak now, there was a spark of defiance in her eyes that I hadn't seen in anyone else's. That chick had potential. I decided to taunt Pinky some more. "Y'know, you say you're her boyfriend, but are you so sure? She couldn't keep her eyes off me those two nights ago. In fact, she was the one that suggested we go to a hotel. Mmmm, yeah, she was good." Even though the last part was a lie, I didn't care. I said it for two reasons. One: I was angry at the bastard in front of me for leaving Blondie in such a vulnerable position and two: I knew it would set him off. I was right. With a roar, he launched himself at me.

"Wing slash of the fire dragon!" Hmm, another dragon-slayer, interesting. I easily dodged his attack and was about to make a move of my own when a flash of blond caught my eye. Turning to look, I was startled to see Blondie run up and plant herself between us. _Why is she here..._

Lucy POV

I was walking down the streets when I heard yelling. Still shaken with my sighting of Natsu, I instinctively flinched. Then, thinking better, I ran towards the source of the voices. What I saw made me gasp. Natsu was attacking that man from the other night, Sting Eucliffe. Sting dodged and I could see that he was readying himself for an attack. Sprinting up to the two, I stopped in-between them, facing Natsu. "L-Lucy?" Came his shocked response. I smiled wryly, trying to ignore my painful feelings. I wanted to run over and hug him, beg him to take me back, but I didn't; my pride saw to that. "It is you! Lucy, please come back! I love you more than anything! More than Lisanna! I'm so sorry I hurt you!" I smiled sadly at him.

"I'm sorry Natsu, but I can never go back to Fairy Tail."

"W-why not?" He demanded, obviously shocked at my refusal. In answer, I slowly unbandaged my hand. When I showed him my broken insignia, he gasped, eyes widening.

"Because I am no longer part of that traitorous guild."

**Ok, to clear up any misunderstandings, I'd just like to say that when Natsu called Sting scar-head, he was referring to the scar on Sting's eyebrow. That's about it for now so see ya! Oh, and review to say what you think should happen next, like, should Natsu try to force Lucy to come back or something?**


	4. Goodbye

**Hi everyone! Sooooo sorry that I haven't updated in a while, I swear I'll try to be better from now on. Thank you for your patience, and as always, please review and fave! Also, so sorry but I can't do a fight scene with Sting yet because it hasn't been revealed what sort of dragon slayer he is yet :'(**

Natsu POV

When I saw Lucy's hand, a wave of emotions hit me. Anger, betrayal, frustration, but mostly sorrow. She called Fairy Tail traitorous. She said she wasn't part of this guild anymore. _How could I let this happen?_ I had to get her back no matter what. Fairy Tail loves her too much. I love her too much. "Lucy, I understand that you may be mad at me, but-" I cut off at the sound of Lucy scoffing. Something she never did.

"I may be mad at you? _May be?_ Natsu, you idiot! Do you even understand what you did? You tore my heart out, ripped it to shreds then stomped on it like it was nothing! You betrayed my trust, crushed my hopes and thought I'd be alright with it. But while you may think that, know this: I will never forgive you." Those words made my blood run cold. How could she say that? Rushing forward, I gripped her shoulders. She was surprised by my sudden movement.

"Don't say that Lucy! You love Fairy Tail! I know you do! We want you back Lucy, if you're angry than don't do it for me, do it for Gray, Erza, Levy! Do it for the people you love!"

Lucy POV

After hearing Natsu, my resolve weakened a bit. My eyes filled with tears as I remembered my friends. "L-Levy-chan." I muttered, remembering my blue-haired friend. She was the one who told me about Natsu in the first place. "Erza-san." I smiled slightly as I remembered the cake-loving woman. Though she was a formidable opponent, she had been a great friend. "Gray-san." I actually managed to chuckle as I remembered the said boy. He'd always been stripping and forgetting where he'd left his clothes. Natsu's eyes softened as he heard me say those names, and he hugged me.

"That's right Lulu, come back. Everyone's waiting for you." With those words, any resolve I had left crumbled. I knew that I would miss Fairy Tail. I couldn't leave them, could I?

Sting POV

My eyes narrowed as I watched Pinky hug the Lucy girl. This wasn't what I wanted. That idiot had hurt the girl so bad and yet he thought he could just take her back? Not on my watch. I marched over to them and yanked Blondie from his grasp. Her eyes widened in surprise and I inwardly chuckled; she'd probably forgotten all about me. I looked at her. "What are you doing? Did you forget about our promise?" I specifically used the word 'promise' as I knew such things were very important to celestial mages. Her face showed guilt and indecision. I knew I'd be able to bring her back onto my side. "Your guild betrayed you, remember? This guy broke your heart." I grinned as a sudden thought struck me. "Instead, why don't you come to my guild. Sabertooth is incredibly strong and no one would hurt you like they did. I'd make sure of that." I saw her contemplating my offer and smirked widely. I knew I had her. "Come on, you could have a fresh start. Even if you did go back to Fairy Tail, it wouldn't be the same. You'd forever be remembered as the little girl that would easily betray her guild. Do you really want that?"

Lucy POV

Sting was right I realized. If I went back to Fairy Tail, it wouldn't be the same. They'd hurt me and yet they'd see my departure as a sign of weakness. Turning to Natsu, I told him my decision. "Fairy Tail hurt me and left me scarred. You hurt me and left me scarred. This is goodbye, Natsu." With those words I stepped back towards Sting. He offered me his arm and I took it, biting my lip. I was startled when I heard a cry from behind me.

"Lucy, I won't let you leave! You can't join Sabertooth! Please!" Hearing the desperation in his voice, I paused, not wanting to hurt him. Sting glanced at me ten tugged on my arm, pulling me forward. Suddenly, his arm was ripped away from me. Natsu was standing there, murder in his eyes.

"You!" He yelled, stabbing a finger at Sting's form. "You made her think this! Leave her alone! She is a Fairy Tail mage and you can't change that!" Sting stared up at him, a slightly bored expression on his face.

"She made her own choice. I just helped her make the right one." With a roar, Natsu launched himself at Sting. I stared in horror, I would not let this happen.

"Gate of the bull, I open thee. Taurus!" I'd reacted quickly, and Taurus appeared, stopping Natsu mid-punch. "Natsu, stop! Why can't you understand? I'm not a part of Fairy Tail. If you continue like this then someone's going to get hurt." I turned and marched away, leaving Natsu to just sit there and look like an idiot. My vision was blurred with tears and my chest hurt so much, but I didn't look back. I wouldn't be able to face Natsu's look of betrayal that I knew was there.

Natsu POV

I stared after Lucy, feeling numb. She'd just left me, and she wasn't even looking back. How could I let this happen? _Why_ had I let this happen? As the numbness faded, I ran into the forest that bordered this field. I ran so deep that I eventually ran out of breath, then I screamed. I slashed at everything I could, burning and damaging all of the surrounding trees. Tears rushed down my cheeks in mighty rivers, but I didn't care. Lucy was gone. Lucy was _gone. _Punching another tree, I screamed and cried until eventually I was leaning on the tree for support. All I could do was sink to my knees and sob.

xXx

It was dark. Night had already fallen. With a jolt I sat up and rubbed ,my stiff neck. Yawning, I stretched then staggered to my feet. Glancing around, I took in the damaged area with surprise. _Had I done this? Oh yeah, it was me._ My mood instantly darkened as I remembered the reason I'd demolished this part of the woods. Sabertooth. They'd stolen Lucy away from me. They'd taken her, and now they'd pay. I swore it to myself, for no one takes my friend, my _lover, _and gets away with it. They'd better watch their back, because I'd be back. And next time, I _would_ bring Lucy home to Fairy Tail. Home to me.

**Awww, broken-hearted Natsu :'( This chapter was sad, but at least it's finally here. Once again, I'm really sorry for the late update. Remember to review and fave, thanks!**


	5. Entrance

**OMG! I love you guys! I am so glad that I have so much reviews already, they make me so happy! If anyone can be bothered, do me a favour and review my other story. It's nowhere near as good, and doesn't have that many reviews at all, but it can't be that bad, right?**

Lucy POV

I stumbled after Sting, exhausted. When we'd left Natsu, we'd walked a fair ways to the train station and got onboard for two hours. During the whole two hours, I hadn't been able to sleep as I'd had too much on my mind. But after the initial shock had faded, I'd felt incredibly weary. We'd walked a little ways and had now finally managed to reach the guild.

xXx

Sting turned abruptly and faced me, a solemn expression on his handsome face. "I'm hoping that you can join today, and with my influence, you should be able to. Our master is all about power and respect, so don't do anything that might upset him. And try to seem strong, for your own sake." Gulping, I nodded and patted down my shirt in a vain attempt to make myself presentable.

xXx

As we entered the guild, a few people glanced up and looked at me curiously, but most just continued whatever they were doing. That changed, though, when we approached the master. He was quite a big man, with rippling muscles and grey hair. He glanced at us and cocked an eyebrow.

"Sting, what is the meaning of this? Don't bring normal girls into the guild." Sting's face remained smooth, though I could tell that he was nervous.

"Master, she is not a 'normal girl', she is a mage. A Celestial Spirit user, actually." The Master stared hard at Sting.

"And why should I let a normal mage enter our guild? Even if she is a Celestial Spirit user." Sting cleared his throat.

"She has ten of the twelve gate keys, master. And with a little training, she could be quite powerful. There is also the fact that she defected from Fairy Tail." This caught the master by surprise. He snapped his head towards me sharply.

"And why did you defect from Fairy Tail, our number one rival?" I didn't really understand, what did he mean by rival? All the same, I answered his question.

"They betrayed me, sir. They hid the truth, cheated me and thought I'd be okay with it." His eyes narrowed.

"How long have you been a member of Fairy Tail?"

"Had, sir. I'm no longer a part of that guild. And eight months." His eyes widened in surprise and he barked out a harsh laugh.

"So...you probably don't understand what I mean by 'rival'. Very well, Sting, the girl can join. She'll stay with you and Rogue. Also, tell her about the Grand Magic Games, ok? Now girl, come here. What's your name?" I cautiously stepped closer to him.

"Lucy Heartfilia." He led me to a room. I threw a desperate glance back at Sting, but he just gestured for me to follow the master. So I did.

xXx

He led me into a small, cramped room. Then he pulled a stamp out from a small cabinet attached to the top of a desk. "What colour and where?" he asked briskly. I frowned in thought for a moment then said answered.

"In red on my right shoulder please." I said. It was the same place and colour that Natsu's had been. Even though no one but me would ever realize the significance of this, I still thought it was like sending a message to him. To mock him. He stamped my shoulder and I felt a weird, itching sensation spread through my arm. I rubbed it unconsciously. The master looked at me and frowned.

"What's wrong with your arm?" I looked at him in surprise then replied.

"It feels...weird."

"Do you still have your Fairy Tail insignia on your body?" I nodded then unwrapped my bandaged hand and showed him. His brow furrowed in confusion at the scars but he took my hand roughly. He placed his own over mine, then muttered something. A magic circle appeared and I felt a burning, _ripping _sensation in my hand. His deep voice resounded, filling up the small room.

"Do you, Lucy Heartfilia, wish to remove this crest of Fairy Tail and instead bear the mark of Sabertooth?" While nodding, I replied.

"I do."

"Then the deed is done. You are now no longer a member of Fairy Tail, but a member of Sabertooth." As he said this something pink lifted from my hand and dissolved into the air. _My mark,_ I realized with a jolt. Looking at my hand, I realized it was indeed gone. _So...no going back now._

xXx

I followed Sting to a little house a ways away from town. He opened it and walked right in. I followed, a little more hesitantly. Then, I was met with the cutest sight: An exceed with big round eyes in a small froggy costume. Squealing, I bent down. "Hello," I said, smiling and trying to make a good first impression so that it would like me. "My name's Lucy; what's your name?" He blinked up at me then replied in a cute voice.

"Hello Lucy. Fro's name is Fro!" I squealed again and asked if I could pick him up. When he nodded, I swooped him up and started to pat him. That's when I heard an emotionless voice behind me.

"What are you doing to my cat?" I turned around and was confronted by a tall, dark skinned man about my age.

"Rogue, Fro made a friend! Her name is Lucy." The boy looked at Fro sharply.

"Frosch, come here. You don't know who she really is." Reluctantly, Fro climbed out of my arms and walked over to the man. That's when Sting intervened.

"Oi, Rogue, loosen up. That's Lucy-chan, the newest member of Sabertooth." I smiled at him.

"Hello Sting-kun, I hope we get along well together." His eyes softened a bit at the mention of me being from Sabertooth.

"Nice to meet you." Then he turned and walked into one of the rooms. I turned to Sting, a little upset.

"Did I do something wrong? I didn't mean to make him angry." Sting chuckled.

"Nah, you're fine. Rogue's always like that. You get used to it after a while." I sighed in relief and nodded.

"Um...where do I sleep?" He got a glint in his eye.

"I'll show you the guest bedroom, unless my bed would be more comfortable for you of course." My jaw dropped and I stared at him.

"I'll take the guest bedroom." I said, a little too quickly. He chuckled and led me to a plain but comfortable looking room. I dropped down on it as a sudden wave of exhaustion assaulted me. I'd clean myself up tomorrow.

**I don't really know what to say. Um... yeah...finished this chapter. Sorry that it was kinda boring, I'll try to make the next ones more exciting. As usual, please review, fave whatever! Just do something.**


	6. Training Start

So sorry that I didn't update for so long, I moved to live with my dad. I'm such a bad author, I know, but here's the next chapter at least.

Lucy POV

"Lucy, I don't want you."

"We lie because you're so naïve."

"No one wants you around, you're not worth our time."

"Just leave and never come back!"

"Argh!" With a cry, I jolted bolt upright from bed, the voices of Fairy Tail members still echoing around in my head. What a bad dream. No, that was a nightmare. Even though all it had involved was people telling me mean stuff, it had filled me with such sorrow. To anyone else, that dream would have seemed normal, if a bit weird, but to me, it was like someone was slowly squeezing my heart. In an attempt to console myself, I told myself it wasn't true. They had cared about me. I didn't feel better.

xXx

Drifting out my room, I spotted Rogue. He looked really, clean and fresh. Damn. I suddenly realized how dirty I was. I hadn't had a shower in forever. Approaching him, I hesitantly asked where the shower was. After getting directions, I went and stripped down. Stepping into the shower, I shuddered as the cold water hit my skin, but nevertheless proceeded to scrub myself. It was only when I stepped out of the shower, feeling refreshed, that I realized I had no clean change of clothes. Crap. I didn't really want to go outside with just the towel, as it barely covered me up at all.

xXx

Deciding to go to stealth mode, I picked up my dirty clothes and crept into my room. Dumping them on the floor, I exited my room, feeling like a ninja. I peeked into the room next to mine. Seeing some drawers, I crept over to them, continually throwing glances over my shoulder. Opening them, I spotted a huge T-shirt. Pulling it out of the draw, I slipped it over my head and let the towel drop. The T-shirt came to about mid-thigh. "What are you doing in my room?" For a heart-stopping moment, I thought Rogue had spoken. Whipping around, I relaxed when I saw Sting. I don't know why, but he seemed much better to face in a Crap-I'm-Caught sort of situation as opposed `to the other stoic mage.

"Um, I didn't have any clothes." I mentally face-palmed at my stupidity. I'd acted without thinking, how stupid of me. He held up a shopping bag I hadn't noticed before and I rushed towards it, hurriedly thanking him then moving to my own room.

xXx

"Oi, Lucy-chan, I've gotta tell you about the Grand Magic Tournament. I forgot to last night." Chewing my food, I turned to him questioningly. It was about 2pm, of my first day staying with Rogue and Sting. After I'd gotten dressed, he'd presented some food he'd bought while getting my clothes and I took it gratefully. "It's well, a tournament." I sweat-dropped at the lack of information. "And um, guilds enter teams. You can enter two teams. You wouldn't have heard of it, since you've only been a mage for eight months, but it is taking place in three months. You have to do a series of different obstacles and depending on how well you do you are ranked. Usually, the top two are either Fairy Tail or Sabertooth. This is why we view each other as rivals. If you improve enough, the master might even let you enter. It's pretty competitive." I chewed on this information. Would I be able to compete against Fairy Tail? Deciding I would, I made the choice to become as string as possible. This was going to be fun.

xXx

"Gate of the lion, I open thee, Leo!" Loke appeared. After greeting him, I `got down to business. "Loke, I have to become stronger. No matter what. Please help me, I really need this. As strong as I can in three months." He studied me for a moment, then replied.

"Well, there is another magic that Celestial Spirit Mages can use. It's strange, because only Celestial Spirit Mages can use it, even though it isn't Spirit-Related. This is more "Celestial" stuff." My eyes widened was there really such a magic? "Y-yes! Please! Can you teach me? That would be great!" Loke's eyes softened and he smiled.

"Anything for you, Princess." He mock bowed giggling, I hugged him.

"When can we start?"

"Right now if you'd like."

xXx

"There are many different types of Celestial magic-that's what it's called. The first is black hole type. Like the name suggests, this mimics black holes. What you can do with this is actually manipulate space. For example, if someone was about to punch you, you could make two 'black holes'. One in front of you, directly in the punch's path, and one right in front of their face. What would happen here is that the punch would go through the first black hole and come out of the second, so that your opponent would end up punching themselves in the face. Size can vary, depending on how big you want to make. But this magic has its risks. For one, you have to be able to do it quickly. Also, it uses a tremendous amount of Magical energy unless you're well-trained. Also, if you don't do it properly, it could explode or something." My eyes widened again. Wow. "Also, you probably won't be able to master more than one type of Celestial magic before the three months are up, if you're able to master this at all." Taking a breath, I steeled myself. I could do this. I had to. To prove that I was as good as Fairy Tail.

"What are the first steps?" He grinned.

"Making a black hole is a good place to start. You have to concentrate extremely hard. You are altering space. Be strong. Let nothing get in the way of your training. Now, imagine a hole, pitch black and the size of your finger tip. Grasp the magic you feel and pull it forth. Control it. Stretch it into a hole." I concentrated. Hard. Harder than I've ever concentrated on anything. I tried to visualise this small seed of magic, but I felt nothing. Frowning, I tried again. The faintest flicker, like the light brushing of a spider web appeared, but I couldn't grab it. I barely knew if it was there or if I was imagining it. Sighing, I tried again. I had to get it.

**Yay! Finished! Now, important note. The Tenrou incident never occurred(No one disappeared for seven years). Also, what is a cannon? I think it is following the story-line, but can someone please confirm it for me? And do you want me to talk about all of the training Lucy does(the whole three months) or should I fast forward it a bit? **


	7. Celestial spirit king

**Hey everyone! I know, I'm a horrible author who sucks at updating but at least I'm here now. Sooo, I'd like to give a HUGE thank you to those who have stuck with this story from the start, I love y'all! **

Lucy POV

It was a week before we left to go to the Grand Magic Tournament. After demonstrating my abilities, master allowed me to be part of the team. I could successfully open multiple black holes very fast in almost any size I wanted (My limit was the length and width of two Stings). But this had come at a price. A price that I didn't even remember.

_Flashback (two months previous)_

_I lay panting on the ground. A month had passed and all I'd been able to produce was a single small, weak hole that only stayed for a couple of seconds before sputtering out of existence. Both Sting and Loke were with me today, trying to help. I groaned aloud, so frustrated. Why couldn't I get this? What was I doing wrong? To my horror, I felt my eyes begin to water. How humiliating. I quickly wiped my eyes, pretending that I was wiping the sweat off of my forehead._

"_Lucy-chan…" I peeked up at Sting through my bangs. Concern was poorly disguised on his face. Biting my lip, I turned to Loke._

"_Isn't there anything at all you can tell me? Just a tiny shred of information you forgot?"Loke's pained expression extinguished what little hope I'd held onto, and I sighed. But suddenly, his eyes lit up and he turned to me._

"_Lucy-chan, you've met the celestial spirit king before, right? I bet he could help! After all, he does like you!" I stared at him for a moment then scrambled to my feet and flung my arms around Loke's neck._

"_Yes! That would be wonderful! Do you think you could summon him? Please Loke?" He smiled softly._

"_Anything for you, Princess." With that, he disappeared. I didn't worry about it though, as I knew he'd gone to the spirit realm to get the king._

"_Um, should I leave?" I turned in surprise to see Sting. I'd completely forgotten about him. Whoops. _

"_No no, stay. You'll be fine, Sting-kun. Besides, you've been trying to help me, so I'm sure the king won't hurt you." He sweat-dropped and I smiled. Turning around, I was almost blinded by a ray of white light. A huge silhouette appeared, and I squinted. Finally , I was able to make out the celestial spirit king. Annoyingly, the first good glimpse I got of him was of his stupid, grey moustache. He needed a hair-cut. Finally, in a booming voice, he spoke._

"_So, Lucy. I hear that you are trying to master celestial magic." _

"_Um, yes, I am." _

"_And you think you have what it takes?" I frowned. Did I have what it took? Loke had said so but, I wasn't so sure. What if I was too weak? Then my head filled with images. Images of Fairy Tail. They were happy at first, but then they started to get ugly. In my apartment alone on my birthday, Natsu with Lisanna, Levy reluctantly telling me the truth. And that's when I knew. I'd do whatever it took to become stronger than Fairy Tail._

"_I do. Definitely." He studied me for a moment._

"_It comes at a price." Still confident, I replied._

"_Name it."_

"_The boy next to you has lost his memory of someone you know. Would you be willing to forget about the person he knows so that his memory may be restored?" I glanced at Sting. It didn't seem like too big of a deal. It was just one person. I nodded my head._

"_Yes." The spirit king ushered both me and Sting into a magic circle. He ordered us to close our eyes, and we obliged. Then I felt the strangest feeling. It was like an invasion of my privacy, like cold fingers probing around my head. Seeing who the memories were that the fingers began to move towards, I began to panic. In spite of my earlier confidence, I wasn't ready to give this person up yet. I mentally screamed, begging the horrible fingers to stop, but they didn't. Finally, I opened my eyes. Sting was holding me in his arms. "What happened?" I looked around for the spirit king, but he was gone._

"_Right before I got my memories back, you started screaming. Then you collapsed." I frowned in confusion, then rifled through the people I knew. There didn't seem to be anyone missing, though I supposed that was the point._

"_So who was it about? Who do you remember?" Sting bit his lip. He looked really cute like that. _

"_Um, The king dude said I'm not allowed to tell you." I groaned. That old geezer. Annoying, just like his moustache. Standing on wobbly legs, I decided to try making a black hole again. After all, that whole experience was supposed to make me better at this. Closing my eyes in concentration, I was surprised to find it much easier to grasp the magic. I pulled it as big as I could manage without mentally scarring myself, then opened my eyes, not knowing what to expect. I was thrilled to see a solid black hole big enough to fit Fro through. Yay! I would definitely be able to do this._

_End of flashback_

I ran a hand through my hair, excitement bubbling up in me. I was packing in my room, even though it was still a week before I left. Finally, I couldn't bear it any longer, so I jumped as high as I could, punched the air and simultaneously let out a big whoop. Hearing someone clear their throat behind me, I turned to find Rogue standing in my doorway. Blushing in embarrassment, I grinned sheepishly. "Yes?" He turned around, though I swear I saw the faintest hint of a smile before he did so.

"Dinner is ready. It was Sting's turn to cook so try not to gag when you eat or he'll be sad."

"Ok, thanks." I followed Rogue to the dining room. Lector and Fro were sitting on the table end, because they were too short for chairs, whilst Sting was seated on the other end of the table. I glanced at the food. It was very…_interesting_ looking. I saw some close to raw meat, but shrugged it off. After three months of living here, I had gotten used to the two dragon slayers' weird eating habits. There was a salad and a sandwich for me. Nice and simple. The only thing was…I glanced at them. The salad had beans, fruit, vegetables and was that a bit of _meat _in it? I didn't even try to guess what was in the sandwich. Taking a bite of it, I was surprised to find that it wasn't _too _bad. Different more like it. At that moment, I glanced up and felt a surge of warmth. Eating dinner with everyone. Just like a family. Because this _was _my family now.

**Done! This chapter had a bit more stuff in it, and the next chapters should hopefully as well. Thank you guys soooo much for all of the reviews and faves I love them, stay tuned for the next chapter, I'll try to get it done sooner this time**


	8. Grand magic Tournament: Labyrinth

**Hi everyone! Look, I'm updating :3 Was anyone else heartbroken when Fairy Tail wasn't updated this week? I was like, ='''''(I time skipped one week so don't get confused Enjoy~**

Lucy POV

Nervousness bubbled up inside of me. It was the first day of the grand magic games, and I didn't know how I would cope. I felt like I had gotten stronger, but I hadn't really tested my abilities in an actual fight. I'd sparred against Loke Sting and even Rogue, but it wasn't the same.

xXx

The teams gathered. The preliminaries were about to take place and a…pumpkin head was explaining the rules. Why? What was with his head? Deciding to ignore his…unusual appearance, I listened intently. It appeared that we were supposed to find a way through a spinning labyrinth. The first eight teams to make it would advance, whilst the other teams would be out. I frowned. How were we supposed to do that?

xXx

We ran into the labyrinth. "How do we find our way?" I looked at the others. Then I glanced at Rufus. He was quite an enigmatic man, with a mask on his face. In spite of the fact that he had long hair and left it down, he didn't seem girly, more…refined somehow. I knew that his magic was to do with memories, and this included memorizing things.

"Yo, Rufus, can you memorize the way?" I glanced at Sting, then back at Rufus.

"Judging from what I saw on the outside, I already know the way." My jaw dropped. Was this guy seriously that powerful? Wow.

"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up." That was Orga, a huge man. Now don't get me wrong when I say huge; he was all muscle and no fat. My stomach fluttered at the thought of how easily Rufus had been able to find the way. Would I be able to keep up with these guys? I decided I had to. "Wait, I need to speak to Lucy-san."

"Me?" Why? I wonder.

"How well have you mastered your ability? Do you think you could make a black hole to get us there if I guided you?" I stared at him. Could I? That was asking a lot. I'd tried stuff like that before, and it had worked, but it had completely drained me.

"Um… I might. I'm not really sure to be honest." He pointed in a random direction.

"There. About one hundred metres in that direction. Do you think you could handle it?" Nervously, I gulped. I had to do this. This would prove to my team that I was strong enough to be their comrade, but if I could pull this off, it would give me a bit of confidence. Taking a deep breath, I nodded.

"I'll try." He pointed in the precise location and I tried to visualise two black holes, one here and one a hundred metres in that direction. I sensed the first one appear in front of me, and as Sting was about to step through it I stopped him. I still hadn't made the second one strong enough. I was sweating, but after a few seconds, I nodded my head in confirmation. They were both up. Breathing raggedly, I stepped through my black hole. As soon as I felt Orga (the last to come, or rather, strut through the black hole) appear, I let the black hole blink out of existence. I was too tired to do anything, but after I regained my breath, I looked up. There was a sign right there. The word on the door read 'Goal'. Sting slapped me on the back.

"Nice Lucy, you did it!" I managed a weak smile but was too drained to do anything else. I'd done it! I'd made a human sized black hole a hundred metres away! The others were already running towards it. I tried to follow as fast as I could but I stumbled. Noticing this, Sting scooped me up and carried me to the door, which was about ten metres away. We burst through it, and pumpkin head was there.

"Congratulations! You, Sabertooth are the first team to make it! And in a whopping time of only 2:46 minutes! Amazing!" I blinked. That has been quite quick. Rufus had told me how to get there, I'd made the black holes and we'd appeared in front of the door and come through. Wow. Rufus and Rogue kept cool expressions, Orga just smirked and me and Sting grinned, though mine was much wider. We'd done it! And I'd been a big help. I wasn't useless and I didn't get left behind (well, I kind of did but Sting had picked me up and that wasn't the point).

xXx

I was sitting next to Sting and Rogue. It had been about twenty minutes, and everyone was still waiting for the last team to arrive. Finally, I heard the doors crash open. I looked up to see a pink-haired boy rush through the doors. "Haha, I bet we're the first team to make it, right Pumpkin-san?" I sweat-dropped at his ignorance. Mr Pumpkin replied.

"Nope, you guys just barely made eighth place." His expression was comical. It was a mask of exagerated depression. I tried, but couldn't supress a giggle. He glanced at me and then did a double-take.

"L-Lu-chan?" I frowned. Then I noticed his crest. He was part of Fairy Tail. Strange, I didn't remember him. The first team of Fairy Tail I had promptly ignored, even though they kept shooting glances my way.

"Who are you?" My voice came out harsher than I'd meant it to, but it was ok I guess. After all, this gut was a part of Fairy Tail. Before I knew what was happening, he'd rushed up to me and pulled me into a tight embrace. "W-what are you doing? Get off!" I felt his arms disappear and glanced at Rogue and Sting appreciatively. They'd pulled him off of me and shoved him, so that he'd fallen sprawled out on the ground.

"What are you doing? Luce, it's me, Natsu! And why are you with Sabertooth, they're a bunch of idiots!" My eyes narrowed. No one called my family idiots. Even if they were from my former guild. By now, everyone had fallen silent and was staring at the two of us. This boy, he was getting on my nerves.

Natsu POV

I stared up at Lucy in shock. When I'd called Sabertooth idiots, her expression had changed from confusion to anger. Why? Why wasn't she happy to see me? I know I hurt her bad, but she didn't eve acknowledge my presence, it was as if she didn't know me! This saddened me. My heart ached. I regretted spending that night with Lisanna so much. Lisanna was a nice girl and great mage, but it was Lucy that I loved. I'd spent many nights crying myself to sleep, unable to stop the tears that assaulted my eyes when I thought of my beloved Celestial mage. "Lu-chan? What's wrong?" I wasn't just referring to her angry expression; I was also talking about why she was acting how she was to me, like she didn't love me, like she didn't like me, like she didn't know me. I loved her so much, and the way she was acting now was making my heart throb with emotion. _Why? Lucy, why are you acting like this?_

**Ooooh, and the person that Lucy forgot is revealed! The story won't be word for word compared to the manga, because I have a limited time on the computer and I don't have timeto re-read it. Hope you're enjoying it, don't forget to fave and review! **


	9. Gone

**Yes, I'm sorry for taking so long to update! I know I know, I'm a horrible person who should be wiped clean from the face of the earth. Thank you to all my awesome reviewers, and also the people that have faved this story, you guys make me all smiley =D Anyway, here ya go!**

Lucy POV

I stared at the boy angrily, how dare he insult them! Who was he to waltz up to me acting like best friends, then insult my family! Unbelievable! Feeling a strong hand on my shoulder, I snapped my head to the side, only to meet the calming eyes of Sting. "Lucy-chan, leave him. I'll deal with this boy later. His eyes got a strange look, and I raised an eyebrow in confusion, before nodding. Putting on a mask of indifference, I turned to the pink-haired boy.

"Please go away." I stated blankly. Expecting him to leave, I turned my back on him so that I was facing Sting. But I felt a strong hand grip my wrist. It felt oddly familiar, just the tiniest bit, but I quickly dismissed this to my imagination.

"Lu-chan! Stop it! Why are you acting like this? Why! You're siding with the enemy, they're gonna use you and then toss you away like garbage! Come back with me!" Whirling around, I slapped him across the face. Hard. I could feel my eyes watering, I was so tormented. Why couldn't this guy just leave? He was making me feel a shred of regret for leaving Fairy Tail. Yes, it was small, but it was there nonetheless.

"Go away! I hate Fairy Tail! Hate them! The whole lot are just a bunch of liars, and that must include you!" I was breathing heavily now, chest heaving after my rant. My eyes were burning with tears, but I angrily refused to let them fall.

xXx

Someone cleared their throat, and everyone turned to look at pumpkin head. "Well, that was quite a show! Oh well, everyone, off to your lodgings. And remember, no fights outside of the Games!" It was obvious that he was nervous, but I ignored. Instead, I fell quiet and followed everyone out onto the streets. We walked a little ways to a hotel. I had a shower and climbed into bed almost robotically. When sleep finally claimed me, I wish it hadn't.

_(Dream)_

_I was walking through a meadow. Today, I was meant to be training with the dragon-slayers, but first I had to see the master. Vaguely, I wondered what it was about. When I got to his office, he called me in. "Lucy-san, you're weak. I thought you would be more useful than `this, but apparently you're not. I want you out of my guild by sun-down. _

_xXx_

_I was at Sting's. Don't know how I'd gotten there. I remembered what master had said, so I rushed from room to room, trying to find him or Rogue or Lector or Fro or _someone!_ But, something was off. The house was dark, and shadows were leaping at me out of nowhere. _

"_Out of our guild! Useless!" They chuckled horrible things like that. I felt tears come to my eyes. _

"_No! I'm not useless! Go away!" I was beginning to feel claustrophobic. This wasn't right. Panicking, I started `to scream. I was losing it, no other way to put it. "Sting! Rogue! Someone! Make them go away!" I curled into a ball, sobbing. I wasn't useless. I wasn't weak. I wasn't the best fighter, but surely I had some value, right? With a flash, the horrid shadows disappeared. I peeked up to see Sting standing there. "S-Sting-kun." Relief flooded through me and I smiled._

"_Lucy-chan. You shouldn't be here." _

"_I know, It's dangerous. What were those?"_

"_No, I meant you shouldn't be _here._ You should be packing, after all, you have to leave by sun-down." My eyes widened as I realized what he meant. _

"_No! Why? Am I not strong enough? I'm sorry, I'll try harder!" he smirked, then squatted to pat me on the head. I was still on the ground, and I felt strangely small._

"_Of course Lucy-chan, you are weak. We don't have weaklings in our guild, remember? Because the type of people we hate most are weak ones. Loud, whiney, useless ones. You fit this description perfectly, so you need to leave." He said all this in a calm but cold manner. I flinched. The way he said it, like he didn't care about me, I would have preferred it if he was yelling at me, because at least then he would have been expressing some emotion. As it was, it was like he regarded me as dirt on the sole of his boot, nothing more. _

"_No." I choked out. "Please." _

I sat up, grimacing. That had sucked. I guess Pinky-san's words must have affected me more than I thought. Sighing, I ran a shaking hand through my hair. I was trembling. Wow. I forced my body to relax, and eventually the trembling ceased. I really needed to get a grip.

Natsu POV

I stared at my bedroom ceiling, sleepless. I couldn't get Lucy's words out of my head. '_I hate Fairy Tail! Hate them! The whole lot are just a bunch of liars, and that must include you!' _My fists were clenched and my jaw locked, I was tense all over. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer; the silence was killing me and I needed to move.

xXx

Rushing out the door, I ran onto the streets. Pushing my way through the crowds, I finally reached a small forest. It was deserted, so I stopped and stared. It was beautiful, bathed in the moonlight. It was deserted, so I stopped and stared. It was beautiful, bathed in the moonlight. _Just like Lucy._ Lucy… I felt a sob wrack my chest and I screamed, collapsing to the ground. This was even worse than the first time she'd deserted me. This time, she'd actually said she hated Fairy Tail, me included. Lucy, beautiful Lucy. Smart, kind, loving Lucy. Gone. All because of me. The sounds escaping my throat were broken and inhumane. I just wanted Lucy back. My Lucy. But no, I'd deserted her. And now she was gone.

Erza POV

I was walking through the streets when I heard a sound. It was out of place, not like the happy bubble of this crowd. Moving towards it, I frowned. It sounded so lonely, so _ruined._ Finally reaching the source, I stared. It was much louder now. The source came from Natsu, curled up on the ground, screaming. He missed Lucy, I knew it. We all missed her so much, but Natsu was probably hit worst; he'd been the one closest to her after all. Hesitantly, I walked forward. What I saw in front of me wasn't a man, but a little boy. A boy who'd been shattered, almost beyond repair. Cradling his head, I sat on the grass and whispered to him. He seemed to calm down a bit, but the sobbing never stopped. No, this wasn't a man in front of me now. It was a boy. A boy who felt all alone in the world.

**Done! This was…kind of depressing, huh? But I'm trying to keep it emotional, please tell me if I'm succeeding. I for some reason, really enjoyed writing this chapter. Also, if you have any suggestions for the story, let me know, and I'll see what I can do. Thank you for reading, and please continue to do so. Until next time!**


	10. Day 1

**I know I took a very long time again, but I was in Thailand! It was so cool, and surprisingly similar to Samoa. I enjoyed it heaps. Also, one of my reviewers said that it was strange that Natsu doesn't call Lucy 'Luce', so from now on he'll call her that unless he is purposely saying otherwise. Anyways, here's the new chapter.**

Lucy POV

My nerves were killing me. Though the grand magic games had technically already started, those were only the preliminaries. Today was the real deal. The battle between eight of the strongest guilds in Fiore. The fight to the death where-ok, I was exaggerating. But I couldn't help it. Tension was spread thick across my skin. "Lucy-chan, time to go out." I started in surprise. Sting was looking at me. He was referring to how we had to walk out from under the stadium and into a wide arena-like space.

"R-right." My breathing was becoming harsher, and I forced myself to calm down, then followed Sting and Rogue, wiping my sweaty hands on my shirt and smiling brightly (or rather, attempting to) for the audience.

xXx

The first thing that hit me was the light; it was so bright that I was almost shutting my eyes. Next came the sound. The roars and cheers from the crowd. It was deafening. Nevertheless, I managed to keep a smile on my face and wave. Everything suddenly seemed so vivid, all the faces of the audience were in sharp focus, and every speck of dirt on the arena was visible. But my hearing seemed muted. Strange. Sting grabbed my arm to pull me forward and I snapped out of my daze. I could see other teams walking behind us. They looked very tough. Great.

xXx

"As per the rules, the first place team in a game will earn 10 points following a 2 point deduction for every additionally lower spot. Each team may choose one member to compete, but in the battles, the sponsors will have a right to choose fighting pairs by various factors, like fan votes. In battles, the losing team earns 0 points with the winner earning 10, and 5 each in the case of a draw. The first round of the grand magic tournament is a game like 'hide-and-seek'." The loud speaker boomed out, sounding like it was right next to my ears. We were on the side of the arena, and I was standing with my team. Only, it wasn't an arena now, it was a huge mass of ruins. "Teams, please choose one contestant to compete. Have them step forward within the next five minutes, or a contestant will be randomly chosen to compete from your team." I looked around.

"I will do it." I glanced at the owner of the soft voice. Rufus was making his way forward. I saw members from other teams coming forward, and spotted Gray. Gulping, I hoped he didn't get hurt. Even if he was my enemy right now, I didn't want to see him hurt. He was one of the people I had been closest to, after all, we'd been in the same team. Vaguely, I tried to remember how we'd met, before quickly dismissing the thought from my mind. I had to cheer for Rufus. _He _was the one on my team, not Gray. I also noticed Juvia. Hmmm. I wondered if she would be able to fight against Gray.

xXx

With a gasp, my eyes widened. Hundreds of the competing contestants had appeared, or rather, clones of them had appeared. As the rules were explained, I stared at the clones in wonder. They were hanging around the ruins, talking to each other and walking around. They were perfect copies with the exception of one thing: they weren't expressing any emotion. Sure, some of them were smiling, but their smiles were blank and weren't genuine. And the Gray I knew - and Juvia, for that fact - would be much louder than this. No emotion...With a shiver, I realized how perfect Rufus was for this. He'd blend right in, with that strange mysterious aura of his and all. I watched as it began on giant screens. Juvia was going wild and quickly pounced on a Gray. It disappeared with a poof and she got some points taken off of her because it wasn't the real Gray. She had to attack the real one to get the points. Since she hadn't gotten any points yet, her points were in the negatives.

xXx

On another screen, I watched some guy eye Gray. He was quite...chubby, to put it mildly. Pretending to be a clone walking past, he suddenly attacked Gray, the real one. Just then, I happened to glance over at Fairy Tail. Master - I mean, Makarov, seemed to be talking to someone. The others around him seemed to be listening and occasionally adding to the conversation. There was a problem though - he was talking to empty space! I squinted, but still couldn't see anyone or anything . _What is Master doing? _Just then, I had a vision of a little girl sitting next to Master. She looked to be the very definition of cute and innocent. Glancing over at me in surprise, she suddenly grinned brightly and waved. Taken aback, I automatically waved half-heartedly. She whispered something into Master - darn it, _Makarov's _ear. He also looked at me in surprise, then a strange emotion came over his face. It was a mixture of sadness and, was that a slight hint of hope? What? I blinked, and the cute little girl disappeared. Tsking, I turned back to the fight, only to start in surprise. Rufus had appeared in front of the other players, most of which were reasonably close together, and he used some magic to attack all of his opponents simultaneously. Wow. He was, way better than me. Would I ever be able to catch up to him and the others?

Makarov POV

I was chatting to Mavis when she suddenly leaned over to me and whispered in my ear. "That girl from Sabertooth, I think she can see me." Starting in surprise, I looked at who she was waving at. It was...Lucy...I looked at her, only members of Fairy Tail should be able to see Mavis. That must mean...somewhere deep inside her, she still considered herself apart of Fairy Tail? I don't know. I smiled at her sadly. Why had she left? The guild didn't feel the same without her. Lucy blinked, then seemed to snap out of a trance. Looking slightly annoyed, she turned back to the fight. "That girl, did she used to be part of Fairy Tail?" Mavis asked me curiously. I nodded slowly.

**Thank you so much for your patience! Once again, I'm sorry that I suck at updating. It should be a bit more interesting in the next chapter, so..yeah. Now everyone, some people are really wanting this to be Nalu rather than Stilu. Should I really change it? If people want me to, then I will. But also review if you think I should keep it as Stilu, because those definitely help to. Also review just because you're awesome. Please?**


	11. Day 2: Challenge

**Hi all! Thank you so much for the support, I really appreciate it. Sorry NaLu fans, but it is looking like much more people want StiLu, so I will probably make it StiLu. There is still a chance for NaLu though, if more reviewers choose NaLu over StiLu. Now, this is really rare for me, updating soon, and it probably won't happen again, but I had so many awesome reviewers that I had to write chapter.**

Lucy POV

"And the first challenge for day two is...a chariot race!" I was really nervous. What did that mean? Turning around, I saw that pink-haired boy from Fairy Tail race up. So, he was doing it. Maybe I should participate in this as well, my magic was good for a race since I could practically teleport to the finish line, and-

"I'll handle this." Oops, too late. I looked at Sting. He was sauntering forward with a smirk. I grinned at him.

"Do your best Sting!"

Sting POV

"I'll do it." I walked forward and smirked at Lucy, I knew I could win a race. She grinned. How cute. Not that I liked her, it was just that she was-my thoughts were interrupted when she said something.

"Do your best Sting!" Wow. No suffix at the end of my name? It sounded really...nice, I guess, when she said it. And she didn't even seem to notice.

"You bet I will."

Lucy POV

I gaped in amazement as a giant train was revealed. It was so long! I was kind of wishing I had chosen to do this, after all, I would have had a very high chance of winning, and I could have felt a bit more confident. But I didn't. And now I needed to focus on cheering for Sting. "Go Sting, you can do it!" I then glanced at Rogue. Lector and Fro were with him. They all looked a bit...unsettled? Worried? I couldn't place it. "Hey guys, what's wrong?" They all looked at me.

"That's a train." Lector said.

"Yeah, it is." I replied, confused. So what if it was a train?

"Trains move."

"Right again Lector! You're really observant." He ignored my remark.

"All dragon-slayers get sick on moving vehicles, from boats to carriages."

"Oh." So that's what was wrong. I bit my lip and looked at Sting. Would he be alright. All of the competitors got onto the train via a high platform.

"And...Begin!"

xXx

Immediately, the train began to move. Half of the competitors raced forward,some already using magic to propel themselves forward. The other half (or rather, almost half. There were three as opposed to five), were, frankly, pathetic. And unfortunately, Sting was one of them. The other two were pinky, and a heavy metal guy. Literally. He had multiple piercings and looked like normally, he'd gladly smash someone. Interesting, so they were all dragon-slayers. They were staggering forwrd drunkly, looking like they were about to empty their stomach's contents. After a couple of minutes, Heavy-metal actually did, though he continued to wobble forward diligently. It was kind of funny to watch on the lacrima screens, five people having an intense race/fight whilst three stragglers were barely moving.

xXx

A_while _later, the three dragon-slayers were really close to the finish line. Pinky and Heavy-metal continued to stagger forward, with Sting just behind them. "D-damnit." Sting looked at them. "I'll let you two have the 1 or 2 points, y-you still won't be able to catch up to u-us. But tell me, why are you trying so hard?" Pinky and Heavy-metal looked back with great effort. "B-because it's for our guild." Pinky explained. At Sting's blank look, Heavy-metal butted in.

"Even if it's only one point, we have to try our hardest for Fairy Tail. Everyone there is depending on us, so we can't let them down."

xXx

The race ended with Pinky coming sixth, Heavy-metal coming seventh and Sting coming last. I looked around in disgust. Most of the audience seemed touched by Pinky and Heavy-metal's 'heart-warming' words. But I knew they were lying. Fairy Tail didn't try that hard just because the others in the guild were depending on them, after all, this is why I left. Because everyone betrayed me, and I couldn't depend on anyone. They lied to me about...about...what? What did they lie to me about? Why couldn't I remember something so important? A sudden vision of pink assaulted me, and my breath caught in my throat. What was that? Turning my attention back to Sting, I smiled. He was walking towards us with his hands shoved in his pockets. He seemed to be in deep thought. He broke out of his trance when he saw us though. "Damn. I lost." I walked over to him. He looked really...subdued, though I couldn't blame him.

"It's okay! We all have weaknesses, and that challenge just happened to target yours! You don't need to worry!" With a slight hesitation, I wrapped my arms around him. Shocked, he didn't do anything. But he didn't pull back. I felt him relaxing, and I pulled back, blushing. Luckily, I was saved by Lector, who darted to sting's side. He, Sting, Fro and Rogue talked a bit, but I zoned out. I just hugged Sting. I _hugged _him, and in front of the other members too. I quickly looked at them. No one seemed to be paying attention to me, except for Minerva. She smirked at my blush then turned around. I pondered the strange feeling in my chest. It felt...light, like that time Happy took me flying. I then seriously considered the possibility that I liked Sting. I wasn't sure for certain, for all I knew, I could just be feeling friendly affection, after all, I'd never seriously liked a guy, except for _him. _Wait, who was him? Whatever, point was, I might like Sting. I hoped I didn't, and that it was just friendliness that I felt, because there was no way he would like a girl like me. He was just too good for me. I frowned. Fro noticed and bound over to me.

"Lucy! Lucy! You look confused. Fro thinks you're thinking too much. If you do that, your head might explode." She told me seriously. I laughed at her cuteness, a little exceed in a froggy costume telling me it was dangerous to think. She held out her hands and I scooped her up.

"Ok Fro," I laughed. "Let's go talk to the others."

**Yay! I did it! Now everyone, I'm considering changing the title of my story. But should I? And if so, what to? Anyway, thanks so much for reading, please review, bye!**


	12. Day 2: Battle

**Triple digit reviews? Thank you all so much! And I'm really sorry to NaLu fans, but it seems like I'm going to do StiLu. I'm still thinking about changing the title. Should I? Oh well, hope you like this chapter =) **

Lucy POV

"And for the second event of day two, we will have a series of battles! These will be one-on-one fights against each other. You can lose in three ways: being unable to continue fighting, giving up and timing out, though in the last one, it will be deemed a draw. And, the first contestant is a lady from Raven Tail. Flare! She will be fighting against...Lucy Heartfilia from Sabertooth!"

xXx

"M-me?" I was shocked. I was going to fight someone. And first up, as well. What if I lost? Master would be so angry... I then strengthened my resolve. I _had _to win. No. Matter. What. I began to walk forward, and saw a red-head also stepping forward. Her hair was really long...how pretty, wonder what shampoo she used...I blinked. _Lucy, this is so not the time. _Then I got closer and saw her face. Her expression was... to put it simply, scary. It was slightly crazed, and she looked like she wanted to drag me down into hell. Oh gee, that's not freaky at all. I bit my lip, then tried to be surreptitious about wiping my sweaty palms on my top. Pumpkin head spoke up.

"And let the match...begin!"

xXx

I observed Flare for a second. What magic could she use? As soon as that thought formed, her hair literally _flew _at me. Huh? I just managed to dodge it before it twisted and headed towards my back. I knew I wouldn't be able to dodge it in time, so I made a blackhole in front of the hair coming at me and Flare's face. It hit her hard, and she fell backwards. I snapped my blackhole shut before the hair had a chance to retract, and to my astonishment it got cut where the blackhole closed. I'd never really thought about what would happen if an object was still in the blackhole when the blackhole shut. Well, I guess I knew now. "My hair!" Flare screeched. "B-blondie, I thought you were a Celestial Spirit User." In answer, I held out one of my keys.

"Gate of the bull, I open thee, Taurus!" Taurus appeared, swinging his axe. It hit her in the gut.

"Gah!" I closed Taurus' gate. My heart was beating wildly. I ran over to Flare (who was still sitting on the ground) and punched her in the face. She fell backwards, but her hair cushioned her fall. Before I could do anything, it sprung forward and hit my stomach. I grunted. It hurt a lot. I could feel the blood running down my side. Nevertheless, I continued to fight.

"Gate of the lion, I open thee, Leo!" Loke appeared. "Gate of the maiden, I open thee, Virgo!" Virgo appeared.

"Do you wish to punish me, Hime-sama?"

"What? Of course not Virgo! I need you to go underground and attack Flare from underneath when I say."

"As you wish, Hime-sama." In a cloud of dust, Virgo dissapeared underground. I could feel the draining of my magic, but I ignored it.

"Please distract her, Loke."

"But of course, my princess." With that Loke lunged at Flare. He tried to punch her, but her hair blocked it. In turn, it attacked him, but he dodged backwards. He used his ring magic, and it managed to get past her hair's defences. I bit my lip. Then, I yelled.

"Virgo!" Virgo flew up from the ground, straight and stiff. She was going really fast. Her head collided with Flare's stomach, and Flare coughed. I could almost see a sparkle in Virgo's eye.

"Sneak attack. Type: Head-butt on enemy. Result: Successful. Shall I be punished now?" I looked at Virgo.

"No! But thank you very much Virgo." She bowed and dissappeared. I cautiously walked over to Flare. Then I gasped as I felt something wrap around my ankle and yank me off my feet. I looked down. Virgo wasn't the only one to have hidden underground; Flare's hair had burrowed underground as well. I cried out as it pulled sharply and I felt my ankle twist. It stung a lot.

xXx

I looked over at Flare. She was slowly rising to her feet, though she was having some difficulty. She looked like a nightmare. Hair strung over her face, blood and bruises, crazed expression. It was then that I decided to end this. Though, I still had some other things I could do, I thought I'd save it for later. Creating a black hole, I ran through it and came out about a metre away. Then I closed it. This cut Flare's hair, and it loosened from around my foot then fell to the ground. Next, I created a black hole in front of me and Flare. Putting all of my strength into one attack, I punched through the blackhole, and my hand came out the other one, hitting Flare in the face. She fell backwards and didn't get back up. I stood there, panting. After shutting my blackholes, I heard Pumpkin-head yell something. "And the winner: Lucy Heartfilia from Sabertooth!"

xXx

I looked up, and it took a few seconds for that sentence to hit home. I'd won. Yay! I grinned and let out a whoop, then trudged over to Sabertooth. Some medics came to patch me up. They wanted to take me to the medical room, but I refused. I wanted to stay here, with all of my friends. Everyone congratulated me, some more enthusiastic then others. I got tackled by Fro and Lector. In spite of their small sizes, they were quite strong when they wanted to be. "Owww." I said, after I landed on my butt. Nevertheless, I hugged them, a huge grin on my face. I'd done it. I'd won, and that was the first step in becoming much stronger. I was very gratefull for the three months of training I'd had before the Games though; I'd most certainly have lost without them. A hand reached down and hoisted me off of the ground.

"Good job, Lucy-chan." I looked and saw Sting, smiling coolly at me. I beamed.

"Thanks! I can't believe I did it though, I'm so happy!" He laughed lightly and ruffled my hair. He looked like he was about to say something, but Fro and Lector interrupted.

"Wow, Lucy-chan, Fro thinks that you were amazing! Fro wishes that Fro could do that too!" I pat her head.

"Thanks Fro!"

"You were pretty cool out there Lucy-chan. You kicked butt!" I thanked Lector. Then I remembered Sting and turned around.

"Oh, I'm sorry, was there something else you were going to say?" He looked a bit torn, then seemed to make a decision.

"No...nothing..."

**Finished! Once again, thank you all so much for the faves, follows and reviews. I just need to ask, with the romance, am I going too fast, too slow, or what? I don't really know, so yeah... tell me if I need to speed it up or something. Bye!**


	13. Sammy

**Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for taking so long, I moved houses and was super busy. And thank you all so much for the reviews, faves and follows. They were so heart-warming. Also, thanks to FairyTailLover for the awesome suggestion, I'll give it a shot! =D**

Lucy POV

"And the next battle is between...Ren Akatsuki from Blue Pegasus vs...Arania Web from Mermaid heel!" The crowd burst into defeaning roars. I raised my eyebrows when I heard Ren's name. Then I grinned and cheered for him. He was a playboy, but nevertheless I'd done a mission with him (back when Oracion Seis was a threat), so we were comrades. As I was clapping, I felt something wrap around my waist.

"Ahh!" I looked down and noticed a pair of arms there. Then I heard a bright voice babbling away in my ear.

"Waaahh! Congratulations, Lu-chan! Can I call you that? Of course I can. It was a wonderful battle! You looked so cool!"

"W-wah?" I twisted my head and saw an orange blur. Then a face appeared. Cat-like green eyes stared up at me. It was a short girl, maybe a bit older than me. Her skin was pale, though a few freckles dusted her nose. Orange hair was cut short and spiky, and her ears were kind of sharp, giving her a mild pixie look.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Sammy! I'm also from Sabertooth." She lifted her green tank top, and I saw the Sabertooth tattoo on the right side of her stomach. I grinned at her. A girl in Sabertooth that was so happy. I'd finally have a girl-friend! The others were great, but a girl-friend would be really nice.

"Hi Sammy! I hope we can be great friends!"

Sting POV

I heard a familiar chirpy voice. Looks like Sammy had come to visit. I looked, and saw her with her arms around Lucy's stomach, hugging her from behind. They seemed to be getting along fine, but still. "Oi, Sammy-Lamby! Get of Lucy, she's probably uncomfortable. Knowing you, ya probably scared the hell out of her." I used the nick-name I knew she hated. She glared at me for a second, then a knowing grin spread across her face.

"Why? You jealous, Sting-kun?" I stared at her. Me? Jealous? As if. I just didn't like Sammy hugging Lucy so intimately, that's all. I mean, she was probably uncomfortable...I engaged in a glaring contest with sammy. The pip-squeak.

Lucy POV

I blushed and looked away from Sting. He just called me Lucy. No suffix. It sounded so...natural. And he didn't even seem to notice. I felt my heart pounding and mentally slapped myself. Getting so worked up over such a small thing. What an egg. I noticed Sammy and Sting glaring at each other. What was wrong? Just then, a loud voice broke the tension that had layered itself on us.

"And the winner... Ren Akatsuki from Blue Pegasus!" I started. Oh no, I'd missed Ren's fight! Oh, how could I? I felt Sammy let go of me, so I took a couple of steps forward and cheered. Good on him.

Sammy POV

When I heard the speaker announcing that the Ren guy had won his battle, I let go of Lucy. Then I sauntered over to Sting. "So, don't you think Lu-chan's really pretty? Totally dating material. You should so ask her out!" Sting stared at me confused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Me and Lucy? Not likely." I was confused. Vaguely, I heard the speaker announce the next battlers, but I ignored it.

"Why not?"

"Well, shit, shut up lamby! I just don't wanna date her." There was a lack of conviction in his voice, and I gasped.

"Oh my gosh! You wanna ask her out, you're just too chicken!" I began to make chicken noises, and danced around him. Sting growled and swatted at me, but paused when Minerva showed up.

"Will you two please be quiet, you're making a ruckus. But...I do agree with Sammy." She swept away. Waaah, how graceful. Then what she said clicked.

"Yeah! Minerva's right! Even _she _thinks that you two should be a couple, and coming from Minerva, that means something. Please, just think about it?" I begged him. They would be so cute together! He sighed.

"Oi oi, you know, I haven't even said if I like her. Yah, she's hot, but-" I squealed.

"So you admit she's hot! Oh, Sting-kun, this is the first step to true love!" I sighed dreamily, getting lost in fantasies of love and romance. Then I snapped out of it when I heard a voice. Lucy's.

Lucy POV

"Oh, Sting-kun, this is the first step to true love!" I tore my eye away from Jura's fight, and my eyes landed on Sammy and Sting.

"E-eh? So, Sting, you have someone you love?" To say I wasn't disapointed would be a lie. As I felt a small ache stir at the back of my chest, I realized it. I _did _like Sting. A lot.

"L-Lu-chan, he's not-"

"Oh," I said, interrupting Sammy. The I fake-smiled. "It's completely fine! Very good!" I turned to Sting. "I wish you very good luck with your love, I hope you are happy! I'm gonna go talk to Rogue-kun about...um...something...important? See ya!" I made an excuse up and walked over to Rogue. I wasn't in love with Sting. I liked him, but I knew I'd get over him soon. After all, if he had someone that made him happy, then good for him! "Hi Rogue-kun! Hey Fro, Lector."

"Hi!"

"Hey."

"Hello Lucy-san." Fro jumped into my arms,and Lector sat on my left shoulder.

"So, what are you guys up to?"

"We're just watching the match. Jura-san truely is quite powerful." I smiled at Rogue.

"Yes, he is. He is also quite kind. I met him once."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Lucy-chan, Fro wants a cuddle! Please?" I looked into Fro's eyes. Such huge amounts of cute-ness. I couldn't possibly resist.

"Lucky." I heard Lector mutter. Giggling, I grabbed him off my shoulder and hugged him too. Then I realized something. My heart wasn't too sore. Though I was still sad about Sting, I could definitely get over him. Especially with the help of the rest of my family.

**Yay! Done! Now, don't worry guys, this _will _stay as StiLu, so yeah. Thank you for reading my story, I promise I'll try to get the next chapter done soonish. Also, unrelated, but who cares, listen to the song 'Your guardian angel' by 'Red jumpsuit apparatus'. It is super awesome! See you all(well, probably won't see you, but you guys get what I mean. Hopefully)!**


	14. Banished

**Hi everyone! I'm back! Anyone else super excited for Halloween? I am! Oh yeah, just to clear up, in this story, Fro is a girl, and Lector is a boy, just to avoid any misunderstandings. And just a little warning, this chapter has when Gemma made Yukino, well you know, before he banished her from the guild. Now, on with the story!**

Another one of our guild members had turned up. Apparently, she would be participating in the Games. I was really confused by this, and so I turned to Rogue in question. He just shrugged.

"Master is quite high up. But he probably said that because you were 'injured', he wanted another guild member so that you wouldn't have to fight. Really, he probably wanted to test her, since she is the newest member after you." I took a second to absorb this information. Wow, Master really was all about power. I shuddered to think what he would've done if I had lost. "Her name is Yukino. She's a Celestial Spirit User, like you."

"Really? Cool!" Just then I spotted an unfamiliar girl. She had short white hair that kind of reminded me of Lisanna's. I felt a stab of sorrow and...betrayal? Lisanna. She was the one Natsu had-wait. Natsu? What was I thinking? I shook it off as a loud speaker boomed.

"Next up, we will have Sabertooth's Yukino Aguria fighting against Mermaid Heel's Kagura Mikazuchi!" I saw the unfamiliar girl walk forward calmly, and silently wished the fellow Celestial Spirit User the best of luck.

Sting POV

I watched Lucy and Rogue talk, and felt frustration bubble up inside of me. Why, damnit? They looked to be getting along so well, could it be that they were together? The look on Lucy's face when she thought I was in love, it had looked sad, but if she was with Rogue, then I must have imagined it. Damn! I needed to stop thinking about her.

xXx

I watched as Yukino fought. For once, Sammy was silent, staring intently at the fight. But her mind was elsewhere. I knew that she felt guilty about Lucy, that she thought she was the reason that Lucy thought I had a lover. And it kind of was, but I wasn't blaming her, she'd just been trying to help. And we all made mistakes. "And the winner, Kagura Mikazuchi from Mermaid Heel!" I was jolted out of my thoughts. Shit. She was gonna get it from Master.

Lucy POV

I watched as the medics rushed onto the arena to help Yukino, a sense of dread forming in the pit of my stomach. Master would not be happy.

(Time skip, Nightfall)

I sat in the lounge of our guild's temporary living quarters, reading a book on the myth of the 13th zodiac key. The one Yukino had used. Master stormed into the room and sat on his chair. Ha, more like his throne. He gruffly called Yukino forward. I immediately felt bad for her, she must have been so scared under Master's terrifying glare. I frowned in worry. What was he going to do? "Strip." I did a double-take. Had I heard correctly? Apparently I had, as Yukino's expression was one of utter humiliation. She raised a shaking hand and took off her cloak. Then she began to pull off her shirt. I looked away, this was too horrible to watch.

Yukino POV

"Strip." I felt my face crumble into humiliation as I processed what Master had said. I was trembling more now. I didn't want to do this. I felt sick to my stomach as I slowly raised a hand and undid the clasps holding up my cloak. I let the cloak fall to the floor and I began to lift my shirt up over my head. I wanted to cry. My eyes were stinging, and my heart felt like it would explode with shame as I undid my bra. I almost sobbed, but I steeled myself. If I let myself cry, I would probably get beaten.  
xXx

Finally, I was done. I folded my arms across my chest and kept my eyes on the floor. I could have died just then. "Beg for forgiveness." Master's voice rang out clearly. No, wasn't this humiliating enough? Why? I knelt down and put my forehead to the floor.

"Master, I am so sorry for my loss. P-please, I swear, if you could just give me another chance, I swear I wouldn't disappoint. I-I'm so sorry." There was a moment of silence.

"Yukino Agura, you are a disgrace. Get out of my guild you filth. Come back, and you will wish for death." He waved his hand and I felt my Guild mark disappear. A sense of loss appeared. I felt my heart break. I'd worked so hard to get into Sabertooth, and now this humiliating banishment.

"Y-yes Master. Thank you so much for allowing me to spend this time in Sabertooth." I ran upstairs to my room, grabbed my bag, and quickly chucked on some clothes. Then I ran back downstairs, flinching as I darted past the guild members and Master. I could feel their stares penetrating my back. My eyes were watering. I ran for ten minutes straight, then ducked into an alley and collapsed. Drawing my knees to my chest, I wrapped my arms around them and burst into tears. It felt horrible, my stomach was churning. Why did this have to happen? It wasn't fair. Why me...?

Lucy POV

I stared after Yukino, book forgotten. How could Master do that? What a monster! For the first time since arriving, I began to have my doubts about Sabertooth.

xXx

My throat was dry. I must have been staring at my book for half an hour, yet I hadn't turned a single page. Yukino was haunting my every thought. I sighed in frusstration. This wouldn't do. I needed to get my mind off of her. I stood and saw Sting and Rogue do the same. They seemed to be deep in discussion. They began to walk towards their rooms, and I followed them, as my room was in that direction. They stopped just before the wall exploded into flames, and a figure appeared.

xXx

Pink hair, fists of flames, with a jolt I realized it was that Fairy Tail boy. Why was he here? He looked furious, like he was about to rip someone's head off. "Where's your Master?" He spat out at Rogue and Sting. I don't think he'd noticed me yet. Sting's shocked face melted away into a smooth, cocky expression.

"And why should we tell you that?" Pinky growled.

"You bastards kicked Yukino-san out because she lost a fight, right? So, if I defeat your Master, then he has to leave." I was confused by his logic, how could a Master get kicked out of his own guild?

"Ha! Idiot, you could never defeat our Master. And Yukino got kicked out because she was weak, and of no use to us." I stared at Sting in shock. How could he be so cruel? His face was hard, but I could see something in his eyes... I then realized he was lying. I breathed a sigh of relief. If he was lying, he surely couldn't actually feel that way. For the first time, Pinky seemed to notice me.

"Luce..."

**That's kind of a cliff-hanger, right? Anyways, done! Please review! I love it so much when people do! Oh, and to everyone, Happy Halloween =D**


	15. A strange dream

**Hi all! Sorry about the last chapter, it was kinda...yeah...anyways, I'm onto the next chapter =) And Halloween is closer than ever, yay!**

Lucy POV

"Luce..." I stared at Pinky. Luce. That name was so familiar, but no one ever called me that. What was this strange feeling? He seemed to snap out of a trance, and he suddenly glared at me. I flinched. For some reason, even though he'd insulted my family, I didn't want to make this boy mad. Was it because he seemed so strong? Must be. "Damn it! Are you happy here?!" His eyes were burning into me with intensity, and I stared at Pinky, unable to look away. "He kicked Yukino-san out for losing a fight! One fight! He humiliated her and made her strip! What if that was you, eh?! This is not a guild! A guild is a family! A guild is filled with friends and loved ones! Just come back with me! Please!"

xXx

I was shocked. His words, he hadn't seemed to be lying at all when he'd said that. What was I supposed to do? But then I remembered Sting and Rogue and the exceeds, and I realized I couldn't leave them. _They _were my family. They were good people, even if the Master wasn't.

Natsu POV

I was so angry. Those _bastards! _Yukino-san hadn't meant to lose. Lucy stared at me in shock, and I could see her digesting my words. There was doubt in her eyes. Maye she would accept, after all-

"No." My eyes widened, and I'm sure my hurt showed on my face, but she continued. "Even if there are some bad people in this guild, I've made friends. I've made a family. I could never _ever _leave them behind." My eyes narrowed at this and I laughed humourlessly.

"What was that? You could never leave your new family and friends behind? Like you left us, your old one behind?" She glared at me, though I could see the hurt and longing in her eyes.

"That was different. They betrayed me-"

"They were looking out for you! Damn it! I'm the one that betrayed you, but they were just trying to keep you from getting hurt! What about Gray, Erza, Levy? Huh?"

Why couldn't she just come back?

Lucy POV

I was so confused. I didn't know what to do. How was I supposed to reply to that? I felt a warm hand on my shoulder just then, and I turned and looked into Sting's eyes. "It's okay. Just leave it, I'll handle him." I nodded mutely and stepped back. There was a strange look in his eyes. He looked so excited and...blood thirsty.

"No. It's a fight from me he wants, so I'll teach the brat to break into my guild." I turned and saw Master, staring intently at Pinky. Scary. Pinky's eyes flicked to Master, and his rage seemed to grow, if possible.

"Bastard!" He spat, then launched himself at Master.

xXx

"Wing-slash of the fire dragon!" The attack-power behind that was quite big. Pinky growled as his attack was cleanly dodged. Master continued to dodge his attacks, then suddenly countered, thrusting his palm into Pinky's stomach. Pinky coughed and backed up a bit. I could tell he was preparing for something huge. The atmosphere was heavy. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" His attack was so strong! Dust blew into my eyes, making them sting and water. Eventually it cleared, and I gaped. Minerva.

"Sorry, but you're not good enough to fight our Master. You are trash, and wasting his time. Please leave." Minerva's smooth voice, though not particularly loud, was heard from all over the guild. He growled at her.

"What-"

"After all, you wouldn't want a certain blue friend of yours to get hurt now, would you?" His eyes widened.

"Happy." He whispered. Two of our guild members strolled in, carrying Happy. My heart clenched at the sight of him. He looked so small and intimidated.

"Yeah. We found him hanging around the front entrance."

"S-sorry, Natsu, I got caught." He looked to be on the brink of tears. Pinky walked up to the two members holding Happy and gently took Happy from them, giving the two a death glare. I could tell that Pinky was very disappointed and maybe even a little ashamed, but he walked to the doors, back straight and head held high. But just before he walked through the doors, he paused. Without looking back, he spoke.

"Just remember Luce, no matter what happens, you'll always be apart of Fairy Tail." He then left, leaving me standing there dumb-founded. I could feel everyones' looks penetrating me, but I ignored them. Turning sharply, I headed to my room. Never mind the huge hole in the wall next to it.

xXx

I sat on my bed and stared blankly at the ceiling. That boy, why was he so familiar? It was frustrating! Sighing, I let my eyes flutter shut, thoughts of Pinky still swirling through my mind.

xXx

_We were at a lake, me and Natsu. We'd been dating for about three weeks. I felt so relaxed. We'd just come back from a mission, it had involved a lot of heavy lifting. Amazingly, Natsu had challenged Taurus (I'd summoned him to help) to see who could complete their load faster. It involved carrying logs up a hill. I smiled faintly. My feet were dangling in the cool water, and the sun felt so warm and pleasant. Suddenly, a pair of strong, muscle arms snake around my waist. Giggling, I leaned back into Natsu's arms. I loved this. He made me feel so...so _safe,_ like the world could be at war and yet he'd protect me from everything. "You're beautiful." He murmured into my ear, making my heart-rate pick up a bit._

_"I love you so much." A warmth spread through my chest, and my stomach fluttered. I loved telling him that I loved him. It sounded strange, but it was me. I turned my head to face him, and he kissed me. He was a really good kisser, whether he knew it or not. I knew he could be fierce, but this kiss was slow and lingering, like we had all the time in the world. He was gentle, yes, but not boring. He felt...interested. I smiled into the kiss, and pulled back. My stomach was shivering with content. I slowly opened my eyes, only to see blond. Huh?_

_"I love you too." My eyes widened. Sting._

xXx

My eyes snapped open. That dream was so...vivid. It felt more like a memory, or at least the first part had. I frowned in confusion. What was up with Pinky? I couldn't know him, I was sure I didn't. I racked my brains for some scrap of information about him, but there was only when we'd met after the preliminaries. There was something else, but it kept evading me. The more I tried to grasp at it, the more it darted away. I sighed, then remembered the end of my dream. Sting. He'd told me he loved me. My heart-rate picked up, and I blushed profusely. I could feel my stomach doing little flip-flops. I rolled onto it and buried my face in my pillow. Yup. I really, _really _like Sting. I heard a knock, and called out in a muffled voice. "Come in." I lifted my face from the pillow, and looked to see _him _standing in the door. He was the last person I wanted to see after that dream, yet the one person I wanted to see most. Sting. "Oh, um, can I help you?" I asked politely, avoiding his gaze. I sat up quickly and smoothed down my shirt. I heard him approaching, then I felt my bed dip under his weight. He was so close.

"We need to talk."

**Ah, another cliff-hanger. So guys, hope you enjoyed, oh my gosh, Halloween is closer than ever =D Once again, a Happy Halloween to all, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please leave a review =)**


	16. Tears and confessions

**Hi everyone! Hope you all enjoyed Halloween, and for those in New Zealand, hope you enjoyed Guy Fawkes, that was epic! A big thanks to my reviewers, please enjoy =)**

Lucy POV

"We need to talk." I stared at Sting. He looked really serious, and I wasn't sure I wanted to hear what he had to say.

"Yeah?" I mentally winced at how small my voice sounded, but Sting didn't seem to care.

"I just wanted to ask. Are you and..." He trailed off, and I furrowed my brow.

"Sorry?"

"Are you and Rogue...dating?" I stared at him. Me and Rogue? Where did he get that idea?

"No offense, but why would you care?" It sounded kind of harsh, but I didn't really care. I was still confused about Pinky, and sad that Sting was with someone else. My emotions felt quite...intense.

"Well...because...Rogue is my friend? Please just answer the question Lucy." I tried to ignore the fact that he'd said my name without a suffix. It still made me feel happy, when he said it like that. But that wasn't good, because he didn't like me, and I would just end up getting hurt more. I glanced at Sting. He seemed a little agitated, His blue eyes boring into me. I realized he was waiting for me to answer.

"No...we aren't dating." I bit my lip. I don't know why, but I felt really awkward when I said that.

Sting POV  
"No...we aren't dating." I stared at Lucy. She wasn't dating Rogue. Hell yeah!

"Well then," now that I knew she was available, I felt more confident. I could make her my girlfriend. No. I _would _make her my girlfriend. "Well, do you wanna go out?" She blinked.

"Huh?"

"I said, 'do you wanna go out?' Ya know, date me?" Confusion showed on her face, but then it melted away into a mask of pain. Why? Was she gonna reject me?

Lucy POV

I felt a rush of emotions well up inside of me when Sting asked me to go out with him, and I wanted so bad to jump into his arms and say 'yes', but then my positive emotions quickly abated, only to be replaced with hurt. Why? Why was he asking me this? "How can you ask me this?!" I could feel tears pricking my eyes. "Why are you playing with my emotions like this?" They finally spilled, and I began to sob and hiccup. Why was he doing this? Nevertheless, I continued. "Y-you already have someone you love, so please, j-just stop teasing me!" Sting's eyes grew wide.

"Lucy-" he began to reach out to me, but I quickly recoiled from his touch.

"Stupid Sting! Jerk! Why are you tormenting me like this? Why do I have to love _you _of all people?!" I could feel my whole body shaking. There was nothing to hear but my loud sobs. My eyes were shut tight, with my hands covering them. I felt the dip in the mattress from where he'd been sitting disappear, he must be leaving. But suddenly, I felt a pair of strong, warm arms wrap around me. I heard a humorless laugh.

"Lucy, why can't you see it? I _am _in love with someone." I stiffened, then wriggled, trying to get out of Sting's grasp.

"Let go."

"No."

"Why?" I felt agitated. He was still torturing me.

"I have a good reason."

"What is it then?" I just wanted him to let go and leave so I could be alone. I felt like I couldn't face him, especially since I just confessed my love to him.

"I love you too."

Just like my dream.

xXx

I stared over my shoulder at Sting, who was hugging me from behind. What? "N-no. You can't. Sammy said-"

"She was talking about you." He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair, tousling it. "I thought you were with Rogue, so I didn't approach you earlier, but I love you." He wiped the tears from my cheeks, and I just stared at him. _I love you._ Sting loved me. I hadn't even realized that I fully loved him until I said it. I smiled weakly.

"Y-yes."

"Huh?"

"To your question before: yes." His face split into a grin as he realized what question I was referring to: the one where he asked me out.

Makarov POV

I sat, staring at the moon. It was large. The First Master of Fairy Tail was sitting next to me. "Neh, Makarov?"

"Yes?" She turned and gave me an intense look.

"One of our Fairies got lost. We need to help her find her way back." I saddened when I heard her statement. I knew she was talking about Lucy. Natsu had come back from Sabertooth in a fit of hurt, anger and dissapointment. I'd tried to ask him what happened, but he brushed me off. In the end, it was Happy who had to tell us how he'd tried to fight Jiemma, and how Lucy had refused to come back once again.

"I know, First, I know. But I don't know how." I confessed.

"The time will come." She mused. "Just make sure you don't waste the chance that comes, or our Fairy may be lost forever. But trust me when I say, Sabertooth _will _make a mistake. Everyone does, after all. But when they do, we will have to take back the Fairy they stole." I stared at her as she walked back inside. Was it true? I wished I could believe the First's words, but we had already tried so hard to bring Lucy back. I feared that if the chance First was talking about didn't come quickly, our Fairy would not be able to find her way back, no matter how hard we tried to guide her. But I had to remain strong, and keep believing in Lucy. After all, if I lost hope, then how would the others feel?

Lector POV

I smiled as I heard Lucy and Sting make up. I knew she would be good for him. Fro giggled, and I shushed her. I wanted to hear more. Me and Fro were standing outside of Lucy's room, ears pressed to the door. I'd followed Sting when I saw him get up, and when he entered Lucy's room, I'd rushed off to get Fro. Unfortunately, when we both got there, we could hear screaming and crying. We'd been about to leave, when it settled down. And now, here we were, eavesdropping on my best friend and his new girlfriend.

xXx

I grinned as I walked into the lounge with Fro. Sting would be happy with Lucy, and that made me happy. He was like my big brother, my best friend, and I loved him. He deserved happiness. Fro giggled at me. "Fro's so happy! Fro thinks that Lucy and Sting would make a good couple! Yup!" I smiled at her and replied.

"I agree, Fro. Sting-kun will be happy with her."

**Yay! A bit more of Fro and Lector=D I jope everyone enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review, thanks for reading =)**


	17. Cheering for the enemy

**Hi all! Updating again=) A huge, ginormous, BIG thank you to my reviewers, I love you all, but a particular thanks to LunaNinjaKitty and UNICORNSPOORAINBOWS, your reviews really made my day. So yah, here's the new chapter. Also, it was pointed out to me that chapter 8 had the wrong chapter ^_^; thank you so much Mirajane S and Erza S, you saved me, hehe.**

Lucy POV

I leaned into Sting and smiled contentedly. My heart still wasn't used to the fact that we were together (even though we'd only gotten together last night) and was proceeding to do little flip-flops. I gazed at him. He was so handsome. He caught my eye and smirked. With a blush, I looked away quickly. Darn, he'd caught me staring. I drew a shaky breath and tried to focus on the speaker. It was saying that today's event is called Pandemonium. Sting was real warm...no! I shook my head. I couldn't focus on the Games! Darn Sting for being so hot!

Sting POV

I watched Lucy's face with interest. Overhead, the speakers were announcing whatever today's challenge was, but I didn't bother paying attention. Watching Lucy was fun. She had a face of concentration, but it melted away into something dreamy. I chuckled quietly as she shook her head vigorously. What an interesting girl.

Lucy POV

It was selection time. I watched Erza and Cana step forward from Fairy Tail, and vaguely wondered if I should do so myself. This thought went down the drain, however, when Orga stepped forward from Sabertooth. Ah, I was too late. But my interest was piqued; I'd never actually seen Orga's type of magic, and I was really curious. Judging from his muscled body physique, though, it was probably something quite physical.

xXx

"The rules of this game are simple. Each competitor will go into this building one by one and fight a number of monsters for points. You can select how many monster thanks to the Challenge Right, but be warned, the monsters you get will be randomized. When you lose, your previous victories will still be counted but the current round will be null and voided. The game will go on until all 100 monsters are defeated or everyone's magical power runs out." I watched as everyone drew lots to decide the order of people entering the huge building. Erza was going first. I drew in a sharp breath, anxious for Erza but unwilling to admit it.

"Heh, how lucky I am, to be going first. I choose to fight all 100 monsters."

xXx

"E-eh? All 100?" I stood there, absolutely shocked. Then I snapped back to reality. "Erza, you idiot!" I wriggled out of Sting's grasp. "I need to be closer, I have to watch this." Understanding lit his features, and he nodded.

"Go ahead, babe." Abruptly I darted forward and grasped the railing that separated us from the arena. I stared wide-eyed at the lacrima screens. Erza, why were you doing this? Surely you couldn't take on all monsters at the same time. I winced as a loud word rang out over the speakers.

"Begin!"

xXx

Erza moved lithely. But even with all of her grace and speed, she couldn't dodge and block every attack aimed at her. I hated every single wound that appeared upon my friend. Finally, Erza's match ended. The last hideous beast fell to the ground with a resounding boom, and Erza raised her sword above her head in victory. After a moment of stunned silence, the crowd erupted into cheers. It was almost defeaning. I smiled softly. Erza had done amazingly. It was then I remembered; I wasn't supposed to be happy for her. Not only was she my enemy in the Magic Games, but she had betrayed me too. Why had I so easily forgotten that?

Mavis POV

"I choose to fight all 100 monsters." I smiled faintly at the lacrima screen. Erza, she was strong. She could definitely defeat the monsters. I briefly glanced around at the other teams, when something caught my eye. That girl...Lucy...she looked so worried. I smiled widely. She was worried for her friend. Definitely a good sign. I shut my eyes. Sabertooth...they had to slip up. That would provide us with the opportunity to get out fairy back.

Lucy POV

"Because of the spectacular show put on by Miss Erza Scarlet who won that event single-handedly, the remaining contestants will participate in a separate event called MPF. The contestants are to attack a Magic Power Finder, which will record and display the amount of Magic being used. The ranks of this event will be based on the order of power. The first contestant is Milliana from Mermaid Heel, as she was meant to go second in the previous event." I stared at the lacrima screen in curiosity. Milliana? She was Erza's old friend, who we had saved from that tower...it had collapsed though, and the only reason Erza had survived was because of...someone...who? Darn, this was annoying. I furrowed my brows and bit my lip as I tried to remember who it was that saved Erza.

Sting POV

I watched Lucy. She looked like she was concentrating really hard on something. Her face was really cute. I felt myself go warm on the inside, but kept my expression neutral with a hint of cockiness. I loved her so much. If anything ever happened to Lucy, I would beat the shit out of the bastard that hurt her. Some event was going on, but I didn't really pay attention until Orga was up, which was second. He used his black lightning, and got 3825 points. I smirked. He put that cat-girl before him to shame. I zoned out again, not caring that he got beaten. It was his life. His fault he was weak. Master would be mad. I just hoped he wouldn't get too mad, like he did with Yukino. That had sucked. Big time. "We will now be moving onto our battles for the day." The loud voice boomed in my ears and made me snap my eyes open (they had been half shut when I was remembering about Yukino). I hoped I would be able to fight Natsu. I'd win, for Lector, and I'd demonstrate the true power of Sabertooth.

Erza POV

The first battle was between Milliana and some guy from Quatro Puppy. I smirked as she won easily, using her Nekousoku Tube to tie him up. She had improved a lot. Natsu threw his arm around my shoulders and cheered. "Neh, Erza, she's the chick we rescued at the Tower of Heaven incident, right?" He didn't seem to reaize he was squeezing my wounds, and apart from a tightening of my lips, I gave no outward appaerance that it hurt.

"Yes, she is." He grinned goofily.

"Hahaha! She beat that guy easy as! She did a nice job." I smiled at this, and ignored my stinging wounds.

"Yeah, she's improved greatly."

**Hi! I'm sorry it was late, once again, and thank you so much to everyone for just reading this story, it makes me really happy C= Um, just a little question, should I give Natsu a romantic interest? If so, who? Lisanna? Erza? I dunno, please tell me.**


	18. For Fairy Tail and Lucy

**Hi everyone! I'm so sorry that I suck at updating! More bad news I'm afraid, I probably won't be able to update for a bit after this as I'll be on holiday, but I promise I'll try to! Thank you so much to all my reviewers, you guys make me so happy, here's the next chapter. Also, thanks so much Erzapu, I'm starting to feel fired up as well lol.**

Lucy POV

I watched as Wendy and another little girl called Chelia were called up to battle. I wasn't paying too much attantion though, as I remembered Laxus' fight. At first, much to everyone's surprise, it had looked like he was losing. But then it had been revealed that Laxus' fight was nothing more than a cleverly and skillfully woven illusion by Raven Tail. Their whole team had attacked him, and he had managed to defeat them single-handedly. Even now, I was still a little shocked. How could he have so much power? To be so strong...Well, because of this, Raven Tail had been disqualified from the Games. I was snapped back to reality when I heard a high-pitched scream. Wendy's scream.

xXx

I stared at Wendy in worry. She was covered in bruises and scratches and looked absolutely exhausted, the complete opposite of her opponent Chelia who looked to be in perfect condition. She was on the ground, and struggling to her feet. "Get up, Wendy! Don't let her get you!" The scream was torn from my throat before I even realized what I was doing. I quickly covered my mouth, anxiety wracking my body. Had anyone heard me? Wendy was from Fairy Tail, and Fairy Tail was Sabertooth's number one enemy, so cheering for them would definitely upset Master. I glanced around quickly. Sting, Rogue and Minerva seemed to be the only ones paying attaention to the fight; most others wouldn't bother as Sabertooth wasn't currently participating. They also seemed to be the only ones that had heard me. I bit my lip as I watched Minerva saunter over to me. She had a cool expression on her face, and when she got close, she smiled at me ever-so-slightly in greeting. I smiled nervously back. I liked Minerva, but I wasn't sure how she would react after my outburst; she was the Master's daughter after all.

"Careful Lucy, it is good to cheer for your friends, but that kind of friend in a place like this is not the best idea." Her voice was smooth and rich, and I smiled, relieved that she didn't seem angry at me.

"Yeah, sorry." She smiled a bit wider then strolled off. "Phew." I turned my attention back to the fight.

Wendy POV

My body ached so much. I felt as if I couldn't breathe properly; my lungs just didn't want to open up. I wanted to stay lying there. It would be so easy, so simple and comfortable. The urge was so strong that I almost gave in. I even temporarily forgot why I was trying so hard to win. But then I remembered. Fairy Tail. My guild. I felt numb, yet my body screamed. I rolled onto my stomach and got my hands beneath myself. I tried to push myself up but I felt so weak. I couldn't do it. I sobbed. I continued to try, but in my mind, I knew I couldn't do it. "Get up, Wendy! Don't let her get you!" Somehow, amidst all of the cries of the audience, that one voice reverberated through my mind. That had sounded so much like...Lucy? I lay there shocked for a moment, then, with renewed vigor, I pushed myself up. Lucy had cheered for me. Lucy. Even though she had defected, she cheered for me. I stood, swaying unsteadily on my feet, but determined not to give in. For Fairy Tail. For Lucy.

"You can just give up, y'know. You've fought well, and no one would hold anything against you." I looked into the eyes of Chelia.

"Sorry, but I can't." My voice sounded pained and exhausted even to my own ears, but my determination was clear.

"Why?" Her eyes showed more curiousity than anything else.

"For my guild. For Fairy Tail." _And for Lucy. _I added silently. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Ok. And since you're trying so hard, I won't dishonor you. This is my single most strongest attack: Sky God's Secret Arts Heavenly Gathering of Clouds!" I felt a strong magic gathering, and reacted on instinct. I did something right before Chelia struck that surprised even me: I healed her. I took away Chelia's fatigue. This had the exact effect I'd hoped for it to; Chelia missed. During the fight, I'd picked up that Chelia could heal her mortal wounds, but she couldn't erase her tiredness. I, on the other hand, couldn't heal mortal wounds, but I could take away other peoples' tiredness. Because of the sudden increase in Chelia's strength, her attack went too far and missed me. Great. I'd bought a few more seconds.

xXx

"The time is up. It looks like it's a draw!" I gaped in surprise. A draw? I hadn't lost? I grinned widely, then noticed Chelia walking over to me. She grinned widely at me.

"Wow Wendy, you fought awesomely! I really like you, let's be friends!" She held out her hand and pulled me up.

"Yeah!" I felt so happy. Exhausted, sore, but really happy. "Let's!" We hugged the way friends do. But I suddenly felt a weight lift from my shoulders. With a jolt, I realized Chelia was healing me. I felt even more happy if possible. "Thanks!" She winked.

"No problem, anytime." We both waved and went to where our respective guilds were waiting. Everyone greeted me enthusiastically and I sighed as I was enveloped in a coccoon of hugs. This feeling of happiness and belonging was amazing.

Lucy POV

I smiled happily, then quickly hid my smile. Wendy hadn't lost. Good on her. Then I realized I was meant to be mad at her, since she was from Fairy Tail. But I just didn't have the heart to be angry at her. First Erza, now Wendy. My negative emotions towards the people of Fairy Tail seemed to be fading. Ugh. It was finally the end of the day, and I followed Sting to the living area for Sabertooth, but was surprised when he grabbed my wrist and lead me away. "Hey, we're going the wrong way." I didn't resist him, as I trusted Sting, but I was a bit confused. He smirked at me over his shoulder.

"I know."

**Ooooh, where is Sting taking Lucy? And yay! Lots of Wendy in that chapter =) I'm sorry again that I may not be on in a _while, _ as I'm going on holiday, but I promise I will try to update as soon as possible. Please, please review, and thanks =)**


	19. A special place

**Hi all! I'm so sorry I took so long to update, I was in Samoa and there was a cyclone=( But thanks so much for all the kind and awesome comments! It's people like you guys that keep me going=) And Natsu, a little warning, Allilibye is coming for you O.O**

Lucy POV

"Sting?" I tried to match his long stride as he wove in between people in the streets. "Where are we going?" I was really curious. When he just smirked over his shoulder and winked, I felt a flurry of emotions burst inside me. Love, happiness, more aching curiosity. We kept walking, and eventually we began to head into a place a bit further away from the main streets, with fewer people. Were we close? My legs were starting to get a bit sore from half-jogging such a long way to match his pace. He stopped outside what looked like an old warehouse. It stood four stories tall with a fire-escape ladder running up the length of the left side of the building, right next to all of the windows. It extended right up to the roof.

"Here we are." He declared with a smug smile.

"Huh? Why did you bring me to an abandoned warehouse?"

"Come on." He tugged on my arm and led me around to the side. He grabbed the rungs and began to climb the ladder with practiced ease. I slowly approached the ladder and lay a tentative hand on it. It was smooth, yet bitingly cold. I ignored this, and followed Sting up the ladder. When we reached the top, he lead me over to a metal box, and we sat on it. I looked up and gasped. The view...it was amazing. Tall buildings rose to meet the sky, and thousands of lights twinkled stunningly. I could faintly hear the sounds of the rest of the city, but everything seemed so distant. Sting chuckled at my expression. I turned to look at him.

"H-how did you find this place? It's beautiful." He chuckled once more.

"I always come here to clear my head. It's like...my own personal place. The only other person that knows about this place is Lector." I stared at him. He'd...chosen to show me a place so private. Strangely touched, I gingerly crept my hand into his. A look of surprise crossed over his face, before it melted into something more tender. He leaned forward slowly, and I mirrored his action, my eyes slipping closed. My insides shivered as our lips met. It felt so...so right. I melted into the kiss, and slowly it became more heated and passionate. Reluctantly, I broke the kiss, gasping for air. I knew I was blushing like crazy. That had been...so...sensual. It had started off soft, and I hadn't minded when it had quickly grown more intense. I'd been able to pour all of my feelings of love into it, and that felt wonderful. I gazed into his eyes, and could see myself reflected in them. I could also see a well of emotions. Turning away, slightly embarrassed at the depth of emotions he was showing me, I gazed at the view and leaned into his side. It felt...warm and strong. I smiled in content, wishing I could freeze time at this moment.

xXx

"We should probably be heading back now. Everyone'll be starting to wonder where we are. They might..._assume _things incorrectly." Sting's rough voice was laced with a light teasing tone, and I blushed even harder at his insinuation.

"Um, yeah." Reluctantly, I stood up and stretched. Taking one last look at the view, trying to burn it into my memory, I climbed onto the ladder and headed down. I was assaulted with sudden waves of exhaustion, and yawned when I reached the ground. Ugh, I wasn't really looking forward to the long walk ahead of us. Sting dropped down next to me and smirked.

"Tired?" I nodded blearily. He grinned and slung an arm over my shoulder. As we began the walk back to our apartments, he hugged me close. I smiled absent-mindedly. Actually, I changed my mind. I would walk miles if it meant that Sting would keep holding me like this.

xXx

As I bathed and changed into my pajamas, I briefly reflected on the day. It had been good. I smiled and touched my lips as I remembered me and Sting's kiss. They tingled at the memory. Flopping onto my bed, I hugged my pillow and buried my head in it. I was unbelievably happy. I fell asleep like this, my dreams full of Sting and city-views.

Sting POV

I lounged around down-stairs, not feeling tired enough to go to sleep yet. I watched as Minerva sauntered over to me with that self-assured walk of hers. I raised a brow at her. "My father wants to see you. He's in his office." She paused. "He didn't sound too happy...watch yourself." I nodded my thanks and headed over to Master's office. A twinge of worry appeared at Minerva's words, but I quickly squashed it down. Knocking on Master's door, I entered at the sound of his grunt.

"You wanted ta see me Master?" His fierce eyes bored holes into me.

"Sit down." Was his curt reply. I did so. "Sting-kun. Is it true that you are with Lucy-san?" My eyes widened in shock. This was _definitely _not what I had been expecting. The hell was he asking about that for?

"...Yes..." Where was this going? Since when did Master care about my love-life?

"Very well. Please know that if this distraction affects your performance for the worst, I will expect you to cut off ties with her." I froze. Distraction? Lucy? She wasn't-how dare he! And he expecting him to break up with her if he messed up. Meeting Master's beady eyes, he ground out an answer.

"Yes Master."

"Good. You are dismissed." I clenched my fists and exited the small room stiffly. Never before had I ever thought about my Master in a bad light, but his last order forced me too. He had no right to tell me to do that! I exhaled slowly and forced myself to unclench my hands and teeth. Lucy was not a distraction. And I'd play better than ever in the Games to prove it to Master. I had to. For Lucy.

**Thank you all so much for your patience! I promise not to take that long next time, please forgive me X( Once again, thank you all so much for the rivews, I really appreciate them. Please leave a review! Also, I'm thinking that, when I finish this story, I might write a sequel. But I was wondering, should the sequal continue to be about Lucy and Sting, or follow Natsu and his quest for a new love? Also, any other suggestions? Thanks for waiting everyone!**


	20. Remembering

**Hi guys! Thanks so much for all of your reviews! They made me so happy=D All of your guys' supportive comments make me so happy, and thanks, if there is a sequel it probably will be about Sting and Lucy. **

Lucy POV

I yawned widely and rubbed my eyes. I was a little tired, because of last night, when Sting had taken me to his 'special place'. I grinned at the memory, happiness blooming in me. "Have a late night with Sting, neh, Lucy-chan?" I heard a chirpy voice. I turned and smiled lazily at Sammy. Her orange hair seemed particularly bright this morning.

"Yeah." I replied without thinking. A brief look of surprise crossed Sammy's face, and then she grinned impishly.

"Oh?" My eyes widened as I finally realized what she thought had happened and I blushed profusely.

"N-no! I didn't- we didn't- um, nothing!" embarrassment was creeping through my body, and I was desperate to try and tell her I, well, that I hadn't slept with Sting, but my mouth didn't seem to want to co-operate.

"Don't worry Lu-chan, you don't have to hide it. It's nothing to be ashamed of." I could hear a teasing lilt in her voice, and her grin widened even more, if possible.

"N-no! Sammy! That's not-! I-I'm a virgin!" This time she doubled over in laughter and I covered my mouth in horror. Had I really just yelled that out-loud? I wanted to sink into the ground. I felt a pair of hands snake around my waist and a familiar warmth pressed itself into my back.

"That's very good to know." I heard Sting murmur in my ear. He'd heard. Great. I could feel the red creeping down my neck. Sammy had finally managed to get her laughter under control, and I looked at her helplessly. She managed to hold my eye for a second before bursting out laughing again. Some help she was. I struggled out of Sting's arms and turned to face him, though I was too embarrassed to look him in the eye. I opened my mouth to speak, but just before I did, a loud voice boomed through the air.

"Ladies and Gentleman, boys and girls, welcome to the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games!" A loud cacophony of stamping and cheering followed, and I turned to look at the crowd that had gathered today, who were eagerly yelling out. "Ok! Well, today, for the first event, we will be having some battles! There's a twist though: they will be tag-team battles!" Another ring of cheers and shouts followed.

"They are just like regular battles, but both people from a guild have to be defeated for the opposing guild to win. And, the first contestants are from Fairy Tail! Mister Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox! Fighting against them will be...Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney from Sabertooth!"

xXx

I felt Sting's warmth on my back disappear and I looked at him. Grinning widely, I pulled him into a hug. Withdrawing, I smiled.

"Good luck! I know you can win! Do your best Sting!" He smirked then turned and walked into the arena. Rogue passed me and I grinned at him too.

"Good luck Rogue-kun!" He nodded.

"Thank you." I skipped over to the exceeds and frowned. Lector looked...really anxious. I knocked him on the shoulder lightly and smiled.

"Hey, don't look so anxious. Sting and Rogue are really strong. There's no way they'll lose, right Fro?" Fro blinked up at me then nodded enthusiastically.

"B-but Lucy-chan. You don't know who they are. Those two are Gajeel...and Salamander."

"Salamander?"

"Yeah. Sting has a score to settle with him." Though he was talking to me, Lector's eyes never left Sting's figure. Seeing that his anxiety hadn't eased, I decided not to push him.

xXx

Sammy skipped over. "Come on Lu-chan, let's cheer louder than anyone!" I glance at Lector, who's eyes still hadn't left Sting, and then nodded.

"Yeah. Wooh! Go Sting! You can do it!" Sammy joined in. Just then, a gong sounded for the battle to start. I watched as the two teams stared at each other calculatingly. "Yay! Go N-" _Natsu. I'd been about to say Natsu. _I paused, and Sammy glanced at me questioningly, then shrugged her shoulders and continued cheering. What? Why had I been about to say Natsu? I stared at the pinkette in question as he launched into multiple attacks against Sting. He seemed to be overpowering him. A flurry of emotions blurred through me. Pain. Hurt. Sadness. Love. Wait, love? I didn't love him. I knew I didn't. I barely knew the guy. And yet...he seemed so familiar. Why?

xXx

_"I love you, Luce. I'll love you and protect you forever." "I love you too, Natsu. Forever and always." _My eyes widened and I clenched my fists tightly. _"Luce! Let's go on a mission together!" "Okay!" _Where were these coming from? _"Natsu?! What are you doing in my apartment?!" "Sorry Luce, I just wanted to see you tonight. Can I stay over?" "Fine...but you get the couch!" "I know! I wouldn't try anything anyway!" "Whatever!" "I wouldn't, Luce, I love you too much." _My breathing was coming hard now, but I barely noticed. _Why? What's going on? I...know him? How? _And then it hit me like a ton of bricks, and my legs almost gave out.

xXx

I remembered my training before the Grand Magic Games. I remembered the Spirit King, and how he'd said that he'd erase one person from my memory. And, for some reason, I now remembered Natsu. "Lu-chan?! What's wrong?!" I was pulled from my reverie abruptly, and my head snapped to the side to face Sammy. She was looking at me worriedly.

"S-Sammy." My voice was barely above a whisper. "I-" I cut off as a huge explosion came from the arena. I watched the lacrima-screen as the dust cleared, and my mouth dropped in shock. "N-no way." Natsu was standing there, while Sting and Rogue lay on the ground, defeated. Sting had been...defeated? Hearing sobbing, I looked at the exceeds. Lector was crying.

"I'm sorry, Sting. I'm sorry." Fro just looked shell-shocked, much like how I felt. I drew a shaky breath and smiled at Sammy.

"I'm fine, really."

"Ok..." She said doubtfully. "Well, I need to go try to calm the guild-members. No doubt they'll be outraged by this loss."

"'Kay, bye."

"Bye." I turned to Lector.

"Hey, Lector, it's ok, alright? It's not your fault. Sting will be ok. He's strong." Though I was meant to be comforting Lector, I felt like I was trying to convince myself more than Lector of my words. Lector sniffed and looked at me.

"You're wrong, Lucy-chan. Sting wanted to beat Salamander to for _me. _He promised when we first met that he would grow strong for me so he could protect me. He said that, to prove his strength to me, he would defeat Salamander. I already knew he was strong, but he still wanted to do it..." Not knowing how to reply to that, I drew Lector and Fro into my arms and let Lector cry into my shoulder. Fro began to cry as well.

"It's ok." I whispered. "It's ok..." If only I believed that.

**Hope you liked that chapter, guys! I liked writing this one. Thank you for your reviews, and please don't forget to review, guys. Please? Every single review means a lot. Well, bye for now!**


	21. Told to leave

**Hey guys! I'm so sorry that I've been such a bad updater recently, I have a whole bunch of personal stuff going on right now and it's kinda hard. But yeah, thanks for staying faithful =) And to all my reviewers, I friggin' love you guys!**

Lucy POV

It was the end of the day, and everyone had gathered in the Sabertooth lodgings on Master's order. Our team for the Games was lined up in front of Master. Tension was thick in the air, and I could feel sweat rolling down my back. Flicking my blond bangs out of my eyes, I clenched my fists and teeth. I was scared. Master's aura was terrifying. The fury and blame rolling off him was almost palpable. He stared at Sting and Rogue. His eyes were so wide with anger that I could see the whites right around his irises. Finally, in a grating voice, Master spoke. "You two. What have you to say about the disgracement you showed earlier?" In the slight pause that followed his question, you could have heard a pin drop. It seemed as if the whole guild was straining to listen, which they probably were.

"It is simple; the strength of Natsu Dragneel, even against both of us, exceeds our own. He is stronger than us." I gaped at Rogue. His voice sounded so strong. Master's horrific aura intensified. He bared his teeth.

"Stronger? _Stronger?!_" He barked. "How dare you humiliate this guild! Your weakness made the guild seem weak, even though we are the strongest guild in Fiore! You imbeciles! You are not worthy to be apart of Sabertooth! I'm removing your guild marks!" And with that, Master released a huge burst of magic, that made his clothes billow majestically. It was so strong, that the two dragon slayers were knocked off of their feet. Even I barely managed to stay grounded, and I was further away than they were. Even more fear trickled into the pit of my stomach.

"W-wait!" A tiny voice called out. Lector's voice. Master unleashed the full force of his glare on poor Lector. I watched the little exceed as he flinched and quivered. Finally, he managed to work up the courage to speak again. "S-Sting tried his very best. Rogue did too. Th-they didn't really do anything wrong, a-and they'll get stronger." Silence suffocated me for a moment, then Master spoke, his voice deathly quiet.

"You dare talk to me about my own guild?" His voice rose in volume. "You are weak. Weak! Trash like you doesn't belong in my guild!" I sensed Master gathering his magic. He was about to attack Lector. No! In a flash of panic, I opened a black hole in front of Lector and behind Master's head. A split-second later, Master fell to the floor and the smell of charred flesh permeated the air. I stared at Master in shock. It was a gruesome scene. I couldn't believe I'd just done that. My black holes snapped shut and I began to tremble. I'd just killed Master. _I'd just killed Master! _

"N-no way." My voice sounded weak and breathy, even to my own ears. I stared blankly at Minerva as she simpered forward and came to a stop by Master's body.

"By rights, because of the death of Sabertooth's Master, and as his only heir, I am now Sabertooth's new Master." Her voice rang out across the lodgings, clear and confident. It was kind of strange to note how easily everyone accepted this, though I think they were still shocked, like me. She turned and stared straight into my eyes. I could read nothing. "I won't hold you accountable for my father's death, as it was his own stupidity that brought this about." I almost sank to the ground then, in both relief and shock at what I had just done. "However, though I cared little for the man, he was my father. So...I'm banishing you from Sabertooth. You have untill morning to leave. I will inform the game hosts of this change." She waved her hand, and I felt a prickly sensation in my right shoulder. Pulling my collared shirt up a bit to have a look, I saw my Sabertooth guild mark fade. It was then that my world come crashing down around me and I collapsed to my knees.

"W-wait a moment! She saved Lector! If you're kicking Lucy out, then I'm leaving too!" I looked at the source of those words.

"S-Sting...but you can't! This is your guild!" In spite of my words, what he said kind of made me happy. He was willing to leave his guild for me. That was...touching.

"Very well. Then I shall leave too." I looked in surprise at Rogue. He was staring straight ahead, his face blank. Minerva narrowed her eyes for a moment, then sighed.

"Very well. If you wish to go...then that's your decision." She waved her hand, probably removing Sting and Rogues' marks too. She turned to leave the room, and as she was sauntering away, I heard her mutter, "What a blow to this guild to loose two...no...three powerful mages in one day. I have a lot of work to do." _Three mages? She considered me strong? _I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to look at Sting. He offered me his hand, and I let myself be pulled to my feet.

"Come on, we have some packing to do. We'll let the rest of the guild deal with the...body." I followed him almost robotically to my room. When we got there, rather than packing the few items I'd brought, I sat on my bed. It felt good to sit; a relief to my legs. To my horror, I felt my eyes get hot. They started to sting, and I felt moisture running down my cheeks. "Lucy? Hey, it's ok. I'm here for you. Rogue is too, and so are Lector and Fro, there's no need to cry Lucy it's ok. It's alright." He enveloped me in a strong, solid hug and I sobbed into his shoulder.

"I-I'm s-sorry!" I sputtered out.

"What? You have nothing to be sorry for! Don't cry."

"I-I killed M-Master and n-now you and R-Rogue are-" I buried my face further in his shoulder. I felt horrible. Anguish and guilt gnawed at my insides, and I wanted to scream. I'd killed a man! And now Sting and Rogue had to leave their guild. And for what? So I wouldn't feel lonely? So I wouldn't feel abandoned? Though I appreciated the gesture very much, I knew that it was all my fault.

"Che, don't you know already?" Sting pulled away from me and held me by the shoulders, looking me straight in the eye. "I would leave my guild a million times over if it meant I could stay with ya. I'd do anything for you, Lucy." More tears leaked from my eyes. But these tears were different; they were tears of happiness. I couldn't keep a smile off of my face, and I hugged him tightly, feeling him respond immediately.

"I l-love you so much too, Sting. I would do anything for you. Anything. Th-thank you so much." I felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted from my shoulders. I loved Sting so much. And nothing would ever change that. _Ever._

Makaorov POV

I sat with the First in my office. We were sipping tea. I smiled slightly. It had been a very good day. Natsu had even managed to defeat both of Sabertooth's dragon slayers. I sighed and glanced at First. For all the world, she looked like a child. but I knew that was just a guise. Under her all of her cuteness was an incredibly sharp mind; she had been the greatest strategist of her time. Suddenly, She stiffened. "What's wrong?" I asked on impulse. She looked me straight in the eye and relaxed, then smiled dreamily.

"Neh, Makarov, we have a big day tomorrow. After all, it's time for our lost fairy to return home."

**Neh, finally done! A huge, _huge _thank you to all of my reviewers, and also for having the patience to wait for this chapter! My deepest apologies! Seriously! But, yeah, please leave a review, each and every single review really does make me really happy=)**


	22. Meeting again

**Wahhhhh, thank you all so much for reviewing, they all made me really happy=D Hope you guys enjoy the chapter=)**

Lucy POV

Warmth. Strength. Comfort. I was overwhelmed with these feelings of contentment. My eyes felt kind of sore and swollen, though, like I'd been crying. But what reason would I have to cry? My eye-lids fluttered open and I saw Sting lying next to me. Why was he here? He looked so peaceful...and with a rush, I remembered what happened yesterday.

xXx

A lump formed in my throat, and I frowned sadly, but no tears came forth; I'd cried too much yesterday, there were simply none left. I snuck out of bed, careful not to wake Sting. We had to leave today. Where would we go? I ran my hands through my messy blond hair and sighed, then walked over to my suitcase of clothes. I needed to start packing. "...Lucy?" Sting's groggy voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked over my shoulder at him and smiled weakly.

"Mmmm?"

"We...we're leaving today, right?" My smile weakened even more, and I nodded.

"Yeah. I'm gonna start packing. You probably should too."

"'K." He yawned widely and stretched. Climbing out of bed, he came and pecked my cheek. I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Thanks Sting, for...everything." He pulled back and grinned.

"Anytime." With that he left the room.

xXx

Me, Sting, Lector, Rogue and Fro stood at the doors of our guild. Almost the whole guild had come, just to watch us leave. "Lucy-chan!" I felt something smash into my side and I almost fell over.

"S-Sammy?" The orange bundle hugged me tight and I smiled softly. "Hey, it's ok. Just because we aren't in the same guild anymore doesn't mean we won't see each other ever. We'll definitely see each other again, ok?" She took a couple of deep breaths then nodded vigorously.

"Yeah!" I laughed and hugged her.

"Good luck, Lucy-chan."

"Thanks." She released me and I moved closer to Sting. My eye caught Minerva's, and I smiled softly, then nodded to her. She returned the gesture and I turned around and grabbed Sting's hand. Time to go.

xXx

"Guys? Fro was wondering where we're gonna go. Anyone know?" I smiled at her rhyme.

"Not yet, Frosch, but we'll find somewhere." Rogue's deep voice consoled the exceed.

"Anyone got any money? I'm completely broke." I sighed at the negative reply. Our small group wasn't walking anywhere in particular, rather, just making an aimless journey with no clear destination in mind.

"Hey guys? Why can't we just find some wizard jobs to do?" Lector asked hesitantly. I opened my mouth to answer but Sting beat me to it.

"Nah, we need to be in a guild to receive jobs. Wait..." My eyes brightened as I caught his train of thought. Why hadn't I realized it earlier? It was so simple!

"We need to join a new guild!" We came to a stop so that we could contemplate this more thoroughly.

"Yeah! Fro thinks that would be cool!"

"Mm-hm." I grinned, happy that we finally had a plan of action. However, I paused at the sound of a voice. A voice that wasn't part of our group.

"Lucy, child, is that you?" I turned and looked at where we'd stopped. Right outside of a hotel. When I saw who was staying there, I wanted to leave right away. _Fairy Tail._

xXx

Wide-eyed, I looked to the speaker. "Ma-Makarov." I only just caught myself from calling him Master. He wasn't my Master anymore.

"Hey, isn't that Fairy Tail's Master?" I looked at Sting and nodded slowly. A couple of people trickled out of the doors of the hotel, and I winced when I saw them. Wendy. Levy. Natsu. Upon seeing my expression, Sting shoved me behind him and stepped in between me and Fairy Tail protectively. After barely a moment's hesitation, Rogue joined his side.

"Yeah, it's her. You want somethin'?" Sting bit out. Before Makarov could reply, I heard Levy's voice.

"Lu-chan! Please, come back! We all miss you so much!" Her eye caught mine, and I was surprised by the depth of emotion I saw in her eyes. Biting my lip, I looked away from her desperate gaze. _I want to go back._ I shocked myself with this thought. No. I didn't want to go back, did I? _Yes. I miss everyone._ These thoughts rose unbidden in my mind, and I cringed. Then a soft voice filled the air.

"Neh, you're Lucy-chan? If you have nowhere to go, then you should come stay with us. At least for a little while." I searched for the owner of the lilting voice, and for a second I had a vision of light blond, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Eh? Who said that?"

"Said what?" Sting asked over his shoulder.

"Didn't you hear? It sounded like a kid."

"You should listen to her, you know. You can leave whenever you like, just please, stay for a while." I looked at Makarov. Should I? I knew that Sting and Rogue wouldn't agree or disagree; they would leave this particular decision to me. The tension seemed to grow as I contemplated, and finally, I nodded curtly. I saw everyone from Fairy Tail smile and grin, and I tried to keep my face blank, in spite of the fact that I felt relieved. I'd finally made a decision.

xXx

As everyone entered the hotel, people that had already been inside kept staring at us then doing double-takes. I could imagine what they were thinking. In spite of my emotionless facade, I was quite nervous. Though I acted indifferent, I realized I didn't want everyone to hate me. I'd left them, because I'd been hurt, but how had they been hurt because of my departure. For the first time since leaving Fairy Tail, I wondered if they despised me for leaving and joining Sabertooth. Levy walked hesitantly over to me. Sting and Rogue shot her sharp looks, but I smiled at them. "It's ok." She came to a stop a couple of metres in front of me, and I slowly walked up to her, holding her eye the whole time. I paused right in front of her, then ever-so-slowly wrapped my arms around her. She wouldn't hate me for leaving, right? I sure hoped so. At first, she didn't respond, and I worried that I had lost her as a friend, but suddenly, she clutched me tightly and shook. With a jolt, I realized she was sobbing and crying badly. I could hear that she was struggling to breathe and speak between her sobs.

"L-Lu-chan! P-please d-don't go again! Please!" I felt my own eyes fill with tears in response. She'd been hurt so badly. And if she'd been hurt badly, then the rest of Fairy Tail must have been too.

**Wahhh, thanks for the wait everyone! As usual, I am shamelessly begging you all to please review! And if you're new to this story and have enjoyed it so far, then please fave and follow it as well! Once again, thank you everyone for all of your support!**


	23. Confrontation

**Waaahhhhh, hello everyone=) Thanks for waiting, sorry I'm late, and also, thanks for answering my shameless plea for reviews ^^; Soooo, here is the next chapter (obviously), hope you all enjoy =D**

Natsu POV

I stared at Lucy in remorse. She and Levy were embracing, and Levy was shaking uncontrollably. I swear I could see tears rolling down Lucy's cheeks too. I sighed; Lucy had moved on. There was no _us _anymore. She was with that blond from Sabertooth. It was really obvious; the way he had stood in front of her protectively had just screamed 'connection'. A stab of pain twisted my heart, and I forced my eyes away from Lucy. I needed to move on, like she had. "Oi, I wanna talk to you." I looked up in brief surprise to see Lucy's new...partner staring at me.

"What?" He cleared his throat, then glanced around.

"Somewhere private." Sighing I numbly stood. I didn't feel energetic at all. I walked up a couple of flights of stairs and turned into an empty hotel hallway. Turning to face him, I cocked an eyebrow. Suddenly, however, I felt myself being slammed against the wall behind me. The breath whooshed out of my lungs, and my eyes narrowed. Grasping his wrists that had grabbed the front of my open shirt, I glared at the guy. Tension pulsed thick between us.

"The hell?"

"You! Natsu Dragneel, unless you've accepted the fact that Lucy is no longer yours, then stay the hell away from her! You've hurt her so much...if you dare try to hurt her even a little bit more, I swear you'll regret it." I relaxed as I realized his intentions; he wanted to keep Lucy safe. I released his wrists, and grabbed the front of his shirt.

"You too! I know I hurt her bad, and I'd give the world to change that...but..." I tried to force down a lump in my throat. After I said this, there would be no going back. I'd have to move on from Lucy. "You have to keep her safe and be there for her! Don't...don't do what I did. Don't hurt her, she doesn't deserve it." My voice lowered in volume at the end, and I looked at the ground, unable to hold the blonde's intense gaze. Releasing his shirt, I finally looked up and met his eye. "Swear you'll be there for her." He nodded tersely, then stepped back. "Good." He eyed me uncertainly, then stuck out his hand. My eyes widened slightly in surprise, then I half-grinned and shook the offered hand. We started back towards the main entry to the hotel.

Lucy POV

I was sitting in between Rogue and Levy, when a blue blur assaulted me. "Lucy!" If I hadn't already been sitting down, I might have struggled to stay standing. Looking down in surprise, I saw a small blue cat hugging my waist tightly.

"Happy? Happy! Oh, it's you!" Scooping him up tightly, I hugged him. He buried his face in my neck and I swear I could hear sobbing coming from him. Another person I'd hurt. Frowning, I shut my eyes tight and hugged Happy harder.

"I-I thought you w-were gone forever, aye! I thought you were never coming b-back!"

"It's ok, it's ok!" I hushed gently, struggling to keep my voice strong. "I'm here now, o-ok? I'm here." He peeked up at me, and the sight of his huge, tear-filled eyes made my heart ache.

"B-but, how long are you here for, neh?" I sighed as I contemplated his question.

"I don't know Happy. Sorry." Not being able to give him a proper answer made me sad, not just for his sake too. Just then, I saw Sting and...Natsu walk into the room together. Huh? Why were they together. Giving Happy to Levy, I caught Sting's eye and beckoned him over. When he arrived, I addressed both him and Rogue.

"Guys, can we talk?" They nodded, and Sting slung an arm around my shoulders and led us to a secluded corner.

"What's wrong?" Sting's eyes searched mine worriedly, and I shook my head helplessly. I felt a little weak emotionally.

"I-I don't know what to do. How long are we staying in Fairy Tail?" We all contemplated this fact, and it surprised me when Fro was the one to break the silence.

"Fro wants to join Fairy Tail! There are other exceeds too!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Eh? Join?" I frowned in contemplation. "D-do you really think we should?" I was filled with doubt.

"Yeah. I like the sound of it." I looked at Lector and tilted my head, thinking.

"Ummm...what about you too?" I asked, addressing Rogue and Sting. I had no idea; I both wanted them to agree and object to the idea of joining Fairy Tail. I was a mass of self-confliction and torment.

"...I wouldn't mind it. The people here are quite strong, they would be good to train with." Stated Rogue. "However, if you want to leave, then let's go." I smiled at his consideration of me and turned to Sting.

"Well? What are we going to do, Sting?" He thought for a second, then replied.

"I'm fine with whatever. It's what _you _want to do. We'll all support your decision." I looked around at the group and searched everyone's faces. To stay or not to stay? I came to a decision after what seemed like a lifetime of contemplation. Hesitantly, I spoke.

"...we'll join."

xXx

I approached Makarov, who was sitting at the bar, talking to Mirajane. Sting and everyone else were right behind me.

"Ummm...Makarov, no...Master, I-is there anyway that you'd accept us into Fairy Tail?" I hated the quiver in my voice, and I couldn't meet his eye, for some reason. After a second, I realized why. Fear. Fear of rejection. The silence seemed to stretch on forever, and I gripped the hem of my button-down shirt tightly. _Please say yes. Please say yes. _These words thumped over and over in my head like a mantra. Behind him, I heard Mirajane gasp, but I didn't look away from that spot on the ground. I finally heard him clear his throat in surprise, and looked up desperately to search for an answer in his eyes. Something. Anything. Much to my surprise, the Master's wizened face broke into a toothy smile and he pulled me into a hug.

"Lucy, child, I thought you'd never ask." My mouth dropped open at his warm reply; it was far from what I had expected. I had hoped for a curt nod at the very best. I heard a rustling of fabric and the pat of feet, and I felt myself getting glomped by another set of arms. Seeing a shock of white, I recognized Mirajane. Not being able to hold it in any longer, I cried. I was so happy that they had said yes, and so grateful, like I didn't deserve it. After all, I had left Fairy Tail. Wrapping my own arms around the pair, I stuttered out all I could manage.

"Th-thank you. Thank you."

**Yay! There we go! Once again, I'm sorry about the long wait, I know it's an over-used excuse, but I have been really busy TT^TT Forgive me! And I'm sorry, but I'm quite curious, but has anyone cried during this story? I have had reviews saying that people have, and I probably sound quite mean, but those made me happy. Not that you were crying, but that this story was sad enough. Anyways, please leave a review, and stay tuned for the next chapter =]**


	24. Joining

**Hey I'm back! I'm really sorry about the wait TT^TT as usual, I'm using the same excuse of being super busy, but it's true! Anyways, thanks a ton for the reviews, hope you enjoy this chapter ^_^**

Lucy POV

_Fairy Tail. How could I have ever thought ill of you? _The Master had just accepted us into his guild with open arms. The happiness I felt, the relief, was over-whelming. I felt like I had been given a second-chance. Like I finally had the right to be at peace and content with myself. I smiled softly as Master spoke. "Everyone, please follow me; we need to give you all your guild marks." He stood and hopped off of his stool, and everyone else followed suit. We followed him upstairs and into an office. It wasn't a small office, so all of us fit in it easily enough. "Who's first?" I looked around at everyone else then stepped forward. Holding my hand out, I grinned at Master in excitement.

"Same as before." I said breathily. His wizened eyes crinkled in a smile, and he held his hand briefly over the top of mine. I felt warmth blossom from my hand and course through my whole body. Staring at my mark in wonder, I sighed contentedly. It was official. I was back. And this time, I wasn't going anywhere.

Sting POV

I got my mark on my left shoulder, same place as my Sabertooth's one had been. It was weird, being in this guild; I didn't know what to expect. After everyone had gotten their marks, we all filed out of the room. I caught Lucy around the waist before she walked off, and pulled her into a backwards hug. Burying my face in her blond hair, I sighed happily. She giggled and tried to turn her head to look at me. I smirked at her failed attempt and spun her around, pulling her into a proper hug. "I love you." It wasn't the first time, and it definitely wasn't going to be the last time I told her that. "I know. I love you too." She leaned back and blew her bangs out of her eyes, staring at me unabashedly. I cocked an eyebrow, smirking knowing, and she blushed and ducked her head.

"Sting-kun, hurry up!" Lector loud voice broke the mood abruptly, and I sighed in annoyance. Unwrapping myself from Lucy, I noticed her a bit reluctant to let go of me, and smiled inwardly at that.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." I shot at Lector. I bent over and grabbed him by the back of his shirt, then tossed him onto my shoulder. "Geez, can't you read the mood?" I ruffled his hair to take the venom out of my words, and he poked his tongue at me. Hearing giggling, I looked at Lucy. She caught me staring and looked back innocently.

Rogue POV

The new Master...smiled a lot. He was kind. This was a new experience for me, and I didn't really know how to react to this. Everyone in this guild seemed very friendly. We reached downstairs and I glanced at Lucy, Sting and Lector. They seemed happy enough, so I broke away from the group and walked over to the bar. "Neh, Rogue, everyone is so happy!" Frosch exclaimed excitedly, and I smiled in amusement, glad to see my little companion in such a good mood.

"So they seem." I looked up and saw a white-haired girl sporting a pink dress approach us.

"Hi there! I'm Mirajane, but you can call me Mira." She smiled in greeting and I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Hello. I am Rogue Cheney, and this is Frosch." Frosch waved animatedly at the girl.

"Hello Mira! Fro thinks you are very pretty!" Mira blushed lightly and directed her smile at Frosch.

"Thank you, Frosch, that's very nice. Um, would you two like anything?"

"Water would be nice, thank you." Frosch made a face.

"No! Fro wants some juice!" She paused for a moment. "Please." She added as an afterthought. Mira giggled and nodded, then disappeared momentarily.

xXx

"So, You're Rogue, neh?" I turned in surprise to look at a small girl sitting next to me. I hadn't even noticed her arrive.

"Yes. You are...?"

"Mavis Vermillion, first Master of Fairy Tail." She grinned and stuck out a tiny hand. I slowly shook it and noticed how mine engulfed hers completely.

"Did you admire her? Fairy Tail's first Master? Is that why you are calling yourself by her name, you wish to be like her?" She shook her head vigorously, her long blond hair flying out in all directions.

"No! I really am her!" She protested, waving her arms around childishly. I smiled at her antics.

"If you say so..."

"Ah, Master! Would you like a drink?" Mira had appeared with our drinks. She handed them to us, then turned to the petite girl. Rather than replying, said girl turned to me and poked out her tongue. I raised an eyebrow.

"See? I am the first Master, so ha!" With that, she turned back to Mira, and began to converse with her. My eyes widened in surprise, and I stared at her. How could she be here? If she really was Fairy Tail's first Master, then she would have had to be dead long ago. This guild...it was so strange...

Happy POV

I stared at the new guild members in excitement. There were two other exceed! More friends! Turning to Charle, I grinned impishly. Fun time~ "Hey, Charle, look, nya! There are two other exceed!" She regarded me calmly and blinked slowly.

"So I noticed."

"We should go say hi nya!"

"...Fine." My grin widened at her acceptance and I skipped off to the bar to greet the exceed. Then I frowned in confusion. This wasn't a cat, it was a frog. Did I get it wrong? Maybe there was only one other exceed after all, and a frog as well. Reaching my destination, I jumped up and sat on the First's lap. Charle followed at her own pace and claimed a seat of her own next to us.

"Hi First! Mira nya!" They smiled in greeting and I turned to the frog. "Hello! I'm Happy, and that's Charle! What's your name?" The frog blinked up at me and smiled a little shyly.

"Hello! Fro's name is Fro!"

"Do you wanna come play with me and Charle?" Fro glanced up at the dark-skinned man whom she was sitting on, and he smiled slightly, then nudged her forward.

"Go on."

"Aye! Let's go!" I heard Charle sigh from behind me, and Fro giggle. "But first, we have to go get the other one."

"Neh, you mean Lector?" I nodded and headed off in search of the other exceed.

**Wah, here ya all go!=] Um, I've got a couple of questions to ask. It is very likely that I'll be writing a sequel for this story, but I don't know when to end this one. Should I end it soon, and include stuff like other pairings in the sequel, or keep it in this story? Also, should Rogue have a love interest? If so, who? And sorry, but finally, opinion on OCs? And as what type of character, main and supporting alike. I need that for a sequel and other stories I may write. Well, thanks a ton everyone! There will be another chapter after this one, and unless people want me to keep going and write the sequel later, then it will be the last in this story. Until next time!**


	25. Only forever final

**Hi everyone, thanks for waiting=) This is actually going to be the last chapter of Scarred on the Inside, before I write the sequel=) I hope you enjoy. Thank you so much to everyone that has supported this story there is absolutely no way I could have made it without you all! PS, to Eeveexme, thank you for your question, it will be answered in this chapter ^^**

Lucy POV

I sat on a couch in the hotel lounge, thinking about when I had first met Sting. Soon, I was snapped out of my thoughts. "Lu-Lucy?" I froze at the unexpected voice, and my eyes widened. I knew exactly who that voice belonged to. I could feel my hands start to sweat, and I turned my head slowly. Forcing a smile that I was sure looked more like a grimace, I met the eyes of the speaker.

"N-Natsu." I stared at him uncertainly, unsure of what to say. What did he want? I prepared myself for a verbal fight, and drew a shaky breath in. However, Natsu did the thing I expected least. He bowed.

"I-I'm so sorry for hurting you! I know I did some horrible things, ch-cheating on you, and expecting you to come back to me. I understand that you're Sting-san's now, and I swear I'll never hurt you again! I don't expect you to forgive me now, but maybe someday, we could be friends?" He met my eyes and I could see the remorse and earnest emotions swimming around in them. What was I supposed to say? Could I forgive him? Well...everything was working out, and though Natsu had hurt me, I could tell he was really sorry...but still...I bit my lip and looked away from him, at a complete loss as to what I should say.

"I want to believe that you would never do something like cheat again. If you ever do cheat again, no matter who you're cheating on, I will never _ever _be your friend again." My voice came out quieter than I had intended, but I know Natsu heard every word. Turning to look at him, I wasn't surprised to see his face had split into a huge grin. Unable to help it, my own mouth tugged up into a small smile.

"I swear!" He yelled energetically. "Thanks so much, Lucy! I'll be the best friend ever!" With a whoop, he rushed off somewhere. Giggling, I looked down at my hands and absentmindedly traced the scars on the back of my hand from when I'd first left Natsu and Fairy Tail. It had healed over now, and there were only a couple of pale lines to show what had been. I would have thought that it would mar my Fairy Tail logo, but surprisingly, it didn't. You could see it under my logo, but it didn't look horrible.

xXx

Sighing, I stood and walked over to Sting, who was chatting to Rogue and Mira over by the bar. "Hi Lucy-chan! Would you like anything?" Mira's bright voice questioned.

"Oh, sure! Anything is fine, thanks."

"Ok." She brightly skipped off to find me drink.

"So, how are you guys liking it?" I asked hesitantly. I hoped they liked it here.

"It is...different. But not in bad way. This guild is very...friendly." Came Rogue's reply. I smiled at him then plopped down onto Sting's lap.

"I'm glad you think so."

"Yeah, same here!" Mire returned and handed me a drink.

"...what is it?"

"Just try it!" Hesitantly, I took a sip. Much to my surprise, it tasted fruity and delicious.

"Yum...try some." I handed it to Sting and he took a sip. "Yeah, it is good. Real good..." He said, staring into my eyes. I lightly blushed but didn't look away. As he leaned a little closer, my heart rate began to pick up, and I mirrored his action. I was vaguely aware that he simultaneously put the drink back on the counter. As our lips brushed lightly, I felt like sparks were buzzing between us. Automatically, my hands slid up into his spiky, blond hair. My body was twisted, as I was still sitting on him, but he didn't seem to mind. He pulled me even closer, his hands resting on my hip and the back of my head. I loved him so much. I couldn't imagine my world without him. Realizing I was about to run out of oxygen, I crushed myself to him to better enjoy the last moments I had before we had to part. Finally, I reluctantly pulled away, panting slightly. Glancing around, I blushed heavily at the prospect of how many people could have seen that. Sting noticed me looking around and chuckled.

"Oi, it's ok. People will have to get used to that, because it's gonna be happening a lot." I blushed even harder.

"Y-yeah." I grinned at Sting happily. Hearing a squeal, I turned in surprise to look at Mira.

"You two are so cute!" She exclaimed, clasping her hands together.

"Eh? Oh, thanks!" Came my oh-so-smart reply. Sting chuckled again and hugged me tightly.

"Yup. I ain't ever letting Lucy go. Ever." He winked at me as I looked at him over my shoulder, and I smiled softly, feeling warm and fuzzy and oh-so-happy. It really warmed my heart to hear him say things like that.

"Yeah. I'll do anything for Sting. Even if it...sends me to heaven." I could practically see the hearts in Mira's eyes. I sunk into Sting and shut my eyes in contentment. This moment felt perfect. Wrapped in Sting's arms with friends.

"Haha, you promise?" He laughed.

"Of course." I replied.

"Me too. Even if the whole world turned against you, I'd stand with you and never let you fall. Forever." Opening my eyes, I looked over my shoulder at him again.

"Forever it is, then."

**Wow. This story is finished. It's...kinda nostalgic to think like that. Thanks to everyone for reading this story, and guys, help please! I have no idea what to write in the sequel, though I'll definitely write one, so please leave a review. It honestly means a lot. Also, So you guys know, I will publish the first chapter of the sequel on June 1st, so please keep an eye out for that. Once again, thanks so much to every one. I really appreciate you all.**


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